We’re Ready To Call Off Strike If… – ASUU

ASUU says it’s ready to call off the ongoing ASUU strike.

Newsone reports that the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, has said that the union is willing to call off its seven-month-old strike.

This online news platform understands that the ASUU President said this could only be achieved if concrete agreements are reached with the Federal Government.

Newsone Nigeria reports that the ASUU President made this in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital on Thursday, September 16, 2022, at a National Town Hall Meeting on Tertiary Education tagged: ‘The Locked Gates of our Citadels -A National Emergency.’

The Federal Government recently sued ASUU at the industrial court in an attempt to end the strike.

Osodeke said, “On all these issues, we have given the government a minimum that we can accept, but they have not responded on the issue of revitalisation, on the issue of earned allowance and on issues that we have all discussed.

“We negotiated and agreed that they should sign, and this is very simple, not more than one day. On UTAS and IPPIS, we said release the report of the test you did and let’s look at the one that came first and take it as we agreed. So, we have given them the minimum we want and we have to come down, and they can do it in one day if there is a will.”

Osodeke reiterated the union’s commitment to return to school if the Federal Government puts its proposal on the table, saying negotiation could be reached if the government is willing.

He said: “If the government loves this country, these children and their parents, then they should come to the table and let us resolve these issues in one day. Just as we did in 2014, they should come and ensure that we do that. We can even have the meeting openly, so that Nigerians will see what we are discussing.”

The ASUU president expressed sadness over the lingering strike, which resulted in the government taking the union to court.

He said suing the union was not an option, as it would further worsen the situation of students and tertiary education in the country.

Osodeke said if the court forces the lecturers to return to school, they won’t force them to teach with open minds, adding that students would definitely be at the receiving end.

The ASUU President commended the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Pro-Chancellors for stepping in to resolve the issues. He urged parents and students to appeal to the government to do the needful, so that the strike would come to an end, once and for all, rather than attacking the union.