Asuu threatens to continue strike as federal government keeps mum on demands

The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, has said that the strike will not be suspended following the Federal Government’s silence to meeting their demands.

Prof. Ogunyemi disclosed this on Sunday at a briefing, where he explained that the industrial action is not politically motivated, rather a move to rescue the educational system in the country.

He said, “Since the commencement of the strike on November 4, 2018, we have had six meetings with the Federal Government with no clear commitment from the government to resolving the highlighted issues.

“The government appears to have adopted the keep them talking strategy while deceiving the public that progress was being made between the government and the union through its press interactions”.

However, the Federal Government’s effort to end the ongoing industrial action by ASUU had failed to reach an agreement as the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, presided over a resumed negotiation with the striking university lecturers last Monday at the ministry in Abuja.

Unlike previous meetings which ended inconclusively, ASUU National President led other leaders of the union out of the meeting.

The union has therefore accused the “Federal Government of sending its representatives to falsely raise the hope of Nigerians on the state of discussions between the government and the union.

According to Prof. Ogunyemi “Our expectation from the government is that by now, all outstanding issues will have been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties; unfortunately, the government is yet to show sincerity in addressing the problem”.

Some of the grievances of the union are the failure of the Federal Government to implement the 2013 memorandum of understanding and the memorandum of action reached in 2017.