Strike: Uncertainty As FG Asks For Patience, ASUU Kicks

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Obiajulu Joel Nwolu

The Federal Government has asked the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to halt its plan to embark on industrial action as the government is working on implementing its agreement with the union.

The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, stated this in an interview with Punch.

This was as ASUU President accused the Federal Government of constantly daring the union.

Reports on Wednesday said that no fewer than three zones of ASUU had asked Nigerians to hold the Federal Government responsible should the university lecturers embark on another strike.

The union accused the government of not implementing the agreement it signed with lecturers in December 2020.

However, ASUU for some weeks now had been urging the government to fulfil all the agreements contained in the Memorandum of Action, which it signed with the union.

But Nwajiuba assured the university teachers that all the agreements ranging from arrears to revitalisation fund would be addressed.

He said, “ASUU should have patience. All the agreements in the Memorandum of Action, from the payment of arrears, salaries to the issue of the revitalisation fund are already in progress.

“I have reached out to the NUC; they are on top of the matter and are working towards it to make sure that everything will be solved. Sooner or later, when they are through, a statement will be issued.

“ASUU should embrace patience and rest assured that the NUC is working fervently to make sure that the issues are resolved.”

But ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, in a separate interview accused the Federal Government of daring the union’s members.

Osodeke said, “They are daring us. They want to see what we will do and we know their plans. They want us to look bad in the eyes of the public.

“We wrote a memo to them two weeks ago, till now, the memo has not been replied. You don’t reply a union through the press. If you make an agreement with someone, courtesy demands that if you cannot meet the agreement, you notify the parties involved. Why didn’t they communicate?”

Reacting, the minister, advised the union to reach out to the ministry.

He said, “Let them reach out to the ministry so they can be kept abreast on what is going on. They keep on saying they reached out, who did they reach out to?”

Source: Punch

This post was written by Obiajulu Joel Nwolu.

The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.

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