Strike imminent as ASUU presses home demands

Universities across the country may, once again, be thrown into another round of indefinite strike if the Federal Government failed to give legislative backing to parts of the agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the next two weeks.

ASUU therefore, “urges the National Assembly to, as a matter of urgency, pass the relevant law in respect to areas of agreement before the expiration of the current legislative tenure.”

Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, University of Calabar Branch (ASUU-UCB), Dr James Okpiliya, told newsmen in Calabar on Friday that government was reneging on the agreement it reached with the union.

He said: “It is sad that once again government is reneging on the agreement it reached with ASUU in 2009, which took two grueling years to renegotiate.

“In fact, the government has failed or refused to enact the enabling laws to facilitate the implementation and enforcement of some key aspects of that agreement, two years after. One of such areas of the agreement is the 70 years retirement age for lecturers at the professorial cadre, which was expected to be given the legislation a few months after the agreement was reached.

“This attitude of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the National Assembly has caused much anxiety in the academia. With less than two weeks to the end of this administration, we cannot help but conclude that quite characteristically, and sadly too, the government is unwilling to give legislative backing to parts of the agreement that need legislation before they can be implementable.

“The University of Calabar Branch of ASUU has viewed this with much concern. It therefore urges the National Assembly to pass the relevant law in respect to areas of agreement before the expiration of the current legislative tenure.

“To renege on this is to avoidably throw the universities into another serious crisis. The government should be mindful of the consequences of failing to implement earlier agreements. It should blame itself squarely if it fails again. ASUU-UCB feels that at a time when it appears the country is beginning to get a few things right, the government must not be the one stoke the unnecessary crisis.”







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