Nigerians have been informed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja branch, that the current strike will go on as long as the Federal Government has not called the union for a meeting.
This information was provided in an interview with newsmen by Dr. Kassim Umaru, the branch chairman of the ASUU, following the organization’s Congress on Tuesday at the University’s Mini Campus in Gwagwalada.
Umaru also challenged the Federal Government to reference any of the things done to bring to an end the ongoing strike.
According to him, Congress deliberated on issues around the strike and vehemently pronounced and rejected the offer presented by the Federal Government, adding that the National Executive Council (NEC) would meet at the end of the four weeks ultimatum to take its decision.
Umaru said:-
“As far as we’re concerned, the federal government hasn’t done anything to our various demands.
“The federal government should tell the Nigerian public what they’ve done. The two committees that were set up, the Nimi Briggs committee, the Jubrin committee, were set up and these committees had their recommendations.”
He added:-
“Our salaries are always negotiated. It’s not something you feel you can pay us. It’s something that you have to sit down to talk and agree that you can pay us.
“As far as we are concerned, our job is different from any other civil servants; it’s the job you are going back to do. You’re not paying for an hour. You’re paying for the job we have done, so it’s their responsibility to pay us and if they said they’re not paying us, it is a joke taken too far.
“As it’s, they have not called our union and Nigerians should know that we’ve not been called, no invitation to our union and all that we know is that the strike continues.”
Recall that ASUU, on February 14, shut down public universities over the inability of the Federal Government to implement previous agreements both parties entered into.
The lecturers’ agitations include funding for the revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution, promotion arrears and others.
