At a press conference addressed by the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke on Monday, Nigeria’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a “comprehensive and total” strike.
He said the strike, which takes effect from Monday, February 14, 2022, would last for an initial period of four weeks.
Prof. Osodeke stated that the union tried to avoid the strike but the Federal Government is unresponsive to the union’s demands.
The ASUU president also said ASUU NEC faulted the creation of new universities.
Prof. Osodeke said: “NEC resolved to embark on the four-week roll-over total and comprehensive strike as the government has failed to implement the Memorandum of Action it signed with the ASUU in December 2020.
“We just want to give the government a long rope hoping that it would see the need to avoid a total paralysis of academic activities in the nation’s universities. We are parents too and have our children in the system but we cannot watch and allow the total collapse of education in the country.
“We invite all lovers of education to join our struggle for a greater Nigeria. Nigerian politicians keep proliferating educational institutions without prioritising education.
“ASUU will not relent in its historic responsibility of advocating for an improved university system.
“This is because it holds the key to our collective prosperity and better future for our children and our children’s children; so, let us work together to fix it.”
Prof. Osodeke asked the Federal Government to call the Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, to order over the unpaid Earned Academic Allowances of its members in the university.
“We have an agreed template with FG but the VC refused to pay. Failure to pay using that template is a misappropriation. He should be cautioned,” the ASUU president said.