From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) branch, has expressed its members’ readiness to join a potential nationwide indefinite strike due to the federal government’s failure to implement the union’s demands.
Oyibo Eze, the Chairman of ASUU-UNN, disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Nsukka on Tuesday, August 26, shortly after the union’s congress, which was followed by a protest rally on campus by union members.
Eze said Nigerians should hold the federal government responsible in the event of a nationwide indefinite strike, as the government has failed to take necessary action.
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“The federal government’s inability to implement the agreement reached with the union since 2009 is very unfortunate and an indication that education is not a priority of the government,” he said.
The Chairman explained that the protest was in compliance with the directive from the union’s national leadership for branches to carry out a protest rally to appeal to the government to act before it is too late.
“We held a congress earlier before carrying out this rally, where all members expressed their readiness to join any nationwide indefinite strike that may be directed by ASUU’s national leadership if the government fails to do the needful.
“The congress urged the government to implement all agreements reached with the union as well as pay members three and a half months of owed salaries.
“That is why you see members in their numbers participating in this protest rally directed by ASUU’s national leadership because enough is enough of government failures to fulfil agreements entered into with ASUU,” he said.
The UNN branch chairman disclosed that the ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, scheduled for September 2, after discussions with government officials on August 28, would determine whether the union will embark on a nationwide indefinite strike.
Our correspondent reports that the peaceful protest rally went through major roads in UNN and ended at the university’s administrative building.
Addressing the protesting ASUU members, the Vice-Chancellor of UNN, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, represented by Prof. Romanus Ezeokonkwo, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), commended ASUU members for their peaceful conduct during the protest.
Ortuanya urged the union to consider a nationwide strike as a last resort after exploring all available avenues to resolve the issue with the government.
The Vice-Chancellor promised to forward the union’s demands to the Federal Ministry of Education.
Our correspondent reports that some of the placards carried by the protesting ASUU-UNN members included messages such as “Federal Government, honour the 2009 agreement between Government and ASUU”, “Our wives and children are hungry; pay our three and a half months’ salaries owed members”, and “Nigerian lecturers are the least paid globally”.
Others read: “FG, please pay lecturers’ wage awards of 25 per cent and 35 per cent” and “No pay, no work; government, honour all your agreements with ASUU.”
It would be recalled that ASUU’s national leadership recently directed its various branches to stage a protest rally on campus and conduct a referendum in congress to give backing to their proposed strike.
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