Ololade Adeyanju
University students in the country may be in for a prolonged stay at home due to the ‘all or nothing stand’ of the striking Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU).
The body today reiterated its determination to proceed with an indefinite strike after the expiration of its ongoing one week warning strike, except the federal government yields to all its demands.
This position was revealed by the chairman of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) chapter of ASUU, Dr Ifeanyi Abada, in an interview today.
Abada said academic activities had been grounded in the university since the commencement of the warning strike in compliance with the directive by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of ASUU.
His words: “NEC made efforts to resolve this issue with government but it remained unyielding because of its insensitivity to issues concerning education.
“Since government failed to do the needful, ASUU is left with no option than to proceed on a one week warning strike and failure to meet with our demands we will go on an indefinite strike.’’
Abada added that ASUU was not taking it lightly with government on issues raised, especially the demand that universities be exempted from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.
He said: “The strike compliance in UNN is total, no lectures, no examinations no departmental and faculty meetings as members will not participate. UNN chapter will not renege on the directive of the national body till government addresses all the issues raised.
“Our monitoring team is moving round and any lecturer found teaching will be sanctioned accordingly.’’
Meanwhile, some students of the institution have appealed to the Federal Government to urgently look into grievances of striking lecturers to forestall incessant strikes in universities.
The students made the appeal in Nsukka on Tuesday while reacting to the ongoing warning strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The President of the Students Union Government (SUG) in the university, Mr Emmanuel Chukwu pleaded with President Muhammad Buhari to urgently address the grievances of the striking lecturers.
Chukwu said that this had become necessary to prevent disruption in the academic calendar of universities in the country.
Miss Amarachi Okafor of the Department of Psychology urged the Federal Government to dialogue with ASUU not to allow the strike to become indefinite.
Okafor also pleaded with ASUU to consider the plight of students who would be spending extra years in the university, especially in this period of recession.
“The longer the strike lingers, the more the rate of crimes will increase and parents will be paying more for extra years spent in school,’’ she said.
Another student, Mr Emmanuel Ochi of Mass Communication Department pleaded with ASUU to consider the interest of students in order not to constitute a setback to their academics.
“I want the Federal Government and ASUU to resolve their misunderstanding amicably in the interest of students and tertiary education in this country. Students have suffered enough over incessant strikes and we do not want a repeat of what happened in the last administration by ASUU,’’ he said.
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FGN pls find something to do with this issue .