We’ll Sustain Strike Until FG Addresses our Demands, ASUU Vows

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Saturday through its President made a vow to sustain the ongoing strike action until the Federal Government addresses all its demands.

The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Biodun Ogunyemi, made this known at the University of Port Harcourt on Saturday during an interactive session with critical stakeholders meant to provide public enlightenment on the struggles of the union pointing out that ASUU demands the Federal Government to implement its 2012 universities needs assessment, adding that the union’s demands were genuine and in the interest of the nation.

“Students who are our children and partners in progress should show understanding, what we are asking from the government is in their interest and the interest of the nation, good hostel accommodation, good classroom blocks that can engender effective learning, laboratories where cutting edge research can be carried out and offices that can drive the process of quality university education.

“So, what we are asking of the government are not baseless things, but those things that in 2012, the government conducted during a needs assessment survey and found out that there are widespread rot and decay in the university system, we asking that the government implement its own report of 2012.”

Ogunyemi added that it is saddening that Nigerian university lecturers are still receiving the same salary scale of 2009 in 2020, stressing that the sad reality must be addressed before ASUU would suspend its ongoing strike action.

“Salary issues are still there, we have not fully addressed that, it appears that some forces in government are bent on suffering our members by withholding their salaries. But we believe that once we sort out the issues of Universities Transparency and Accountability Solutions, other issues will fall in place.

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“The 2009 agreement we had with government stipulates that that agreement would be reviewed every three years, but since then, we have not been able to review the salary scale and that is why we are saying that the negotiation we started with the government in 2017 ought to have been completed and with the completion of that negotiation process.

“A new salary scale should be in place and we are insisting that the process is completed before this ongoing strike is suspended among other things.”