The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has said that it is completely ready to embark on an indefinite strike barring any positive last-ditch effort from the Federal Government.
ASUU suspended its nine months old strike action, which is the longest in the history of Nigeria, after reaching an agreement with the Federal Government over issues that are at the forefront of the strike action.
Dr Salahu Mohammed Lawal, Abuja Zone Coordinator of ASUU disclosed the standpoint of the union at the end of its congress meeting in Abuja.
He said ASUU will neither sign a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU or Memorandum of Action, MoA nor succumb to any insincere release of funds to water down their demands as it used to be the case in previous strike actions of the union.
The ASUU Zonal Coordinator said Federal Government had serially failed to honour MoUs and MoAs signed with it in 2012, 2013 and 2017.
Dr Salahu said it is only an ‘insensitive government’ that would decline to honour the noble accords signed in the holy historic documents.
“Only an insensitive government would refuse to implement the noble proposals contained in that historic document. Here we are in 2022, more than one year since the suspension of the nine-month strike, still waiting on the FGN to do the needful.
“It is needless to say that our members are sick and tired of this manner and level of irresponsibility, insensitiveness and paying lip service to the education sector.
“As a follow-up, ASUU has commenced a one-week campus-by-campus mobilization, sensitization and conscientization of its members nationwide on the State of the Union viz a viz our cardinal demands and next line of action. Barring any last-ditch positive response from the FGN, therefore, we are well prepared to declare a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike soonest.
“We are not going into the signing of the new agreement; neither new negotiation nor new memorandum of understanding/memorandum of action. We are at the point of reasonable action on the part of the government. We insist on the immediate and full implementation of our demands as contained in the December 2020 MOA. To wit, the immediate signing into law and implementation of the Renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement as submitted by the Munzali Jibril Committee in May 2021,” he said.
