Striking University lecturers on Sunday insisted that they would not return to the classrooms on Monday (today) despite the ultimatum issued by the Federal Government.
They accused the Federal Government of insincerity in its bid to resolve its dispute with the Academic Staff Union of Universities. The Federal Government had through the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, deferred its earlier ultimatum to the lecturers to resume work on Monday (today) or risk being sacked. The shift was to enable them to participate in the burial of Prof. Festus Iyayi, a former president of ASUU on Saturday.
Before this , the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, had advised the striking lecturers to return to work on or before December 4 or face dismissal.
But ASUU had in a news bulletin to its chapters after its meeting in Ekpoma, Edo State on Sunday, said the Federal Government had not met its conditions for suspending the over five months’ strike.
ASUU had in the bulletin insisted that the government threat to sack its members would not break the union’s resolve to pursue its action to a logical conclusion.
A source privy to the meeting, said, “No Jupiter will force us to go and teach until all the agreements are documented. The Federal Government is not sincere. If indeed the authorities have agreed, why will they be afraid to document what has been agreed upon? “Let the vice-chancellors, who can teach, go and do so. But our members are determined not to sign any attendance register tomorrow (today). The threat does not bother us, as truth will always supercede deception, lies and any form of intimidation.”
The Chairman of the University of Abuja chapter, Dr. Clement Chup, also described the threat as “an empty one.” He said, “We are still waiting for the government to respond to our letter; until that is done, the strike continues.
“When the December 4 deadline was given, I said ‘I dey laugh because I knew it would not work.’ Now that they have extended it, ‘I still dey laugh’ because it will still not work. Because you (Federal Government) are not ready to honour an agreement and you will begin to threaten people with sacking; it doesn’t work that way.”
His Nasarawa State University, Keffi, counterpart, Dr. Theophilus Lagi, said, “It is only the National Executive Council of the ASUU that could take the decision to suspend the strike.” He said lecturers in the school would stay away from the classrooms since the NEC of ASUU had yet to suspend the strike.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe and Okojie , had last Tuesday, claimed that the Federal Government had deposited the N200bn promised as funding to universities in an account with the CBN.
The amount is for renewal of infrastructure in the nation’s public universities.
But the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Education, Simeon Nwakaudu, expressed optimism that many lecturers would resume work today. He said, “By tomorrow (today), we will know where we go from there. Let us wait and see what happens. Many ASUU members have contacted their respective vice-chancellors and indicated their readiness to work.”
Meanwhile, the Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Chris Uyot, on Sunday, said the leadership of the NLC would hold a crucial meeting with the leaders of ASUU on Monday (today).
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