Strike: ASUU Finally Backs Down
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday night conditionally suspended its more than one month old strike that crippled activities in public universities nationwide.
National President of ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi said the Universities’ lecturers agreed to suspend their strike after a meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) held in Minna, the Niger State capital.
Addressing journalists at the Federal Universities of Technology, Minna, Professor Ogunyemi listed vital components of the agreement that temporarily ended the long-drawn battle between ASUU and the Federal Government to include: Continuous and diligent monitoring of the implementation of the joint resolutions in all branches; facilitating the inauguration of the implementation monitoring committee on the report of the Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities; and ensuring faithful compliance with the report.
The ASUU President said by the resolutions reached at the NEC meeting, ASUU has “resolved to suspend the strike action embarked upon, with effect from Monday, September 18, 2017 and directs its branches to resume work forthwith”.
He said rising from long hours of extensive brainstorming, ASUU decided to suspend its strike after diligent and careful review of various report, especially the resolutions signed last week between ASUU and the Federal Government.
ASUU also expressed commitment to ensuring that its members do not suffer any loss of deserved benefits arising from the strike, especially the unresolved issue of the Earned Allowances.
The Union also threw light on all outstanding areas in the 2009 agreement that require policy and legislative steps to effectively address challenges facing the system, even as it expressed hope that provisions of the extant agreement for revamping the university system will immediately focus on these areas of needs.
Prof Ogunyemi, who said ASUU’s NEC has ordered its members in all branches back to work with effect from Monday, however stated that the Union still has some expectations from government.
According to him, these include government’s faithful implementation of all resolutions reached and signed by both sides, as well as overhauling the Nigerian universities system with the students and parents readily seeing the fruits of ASUU’s struggle.
Also on ASUU’s expectations list is for the monitoring committee to within the shortest possible period verified the implementation level of the Earned Academic Allowances while government must also provide fund to settle all outstanding balance due the lecturers.
Meanwhile, Forefront correspondents report that the breaking news saw jubilation across the country as parents, students, government officials and many small scale business operators heaved a sigh of relief that the traumatic experience of the last one month is now over with the suspension of the ASUU strike.
