The
next move of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is not yet
clear, even after its zonal chapters have held congress meetings to
deliberate on a new offer from the federal government. The union’s
National Executive Council (NEC) is expected to hold a decisive meeting
tomorrow to make its final position known.
Following a marathon meeting with President Jonathan last week, the
ASUU leadership had briefed the zonal coordinators on the outcome and
consequently directed the local branches to organise congress meetings
to vote for or against the suspension of the four-month-old strike.
But reports coming from the Jos chapter of ASUU yesterday said the
lecturers voted in favour of
continuation of the strike on the grounds
that the meeting between the union and Jonathan did not achieve anything
concrete.
The Jos decision was taken at a referendum where 194 voted for the
strike to be continued while 80 voted in favour of a suspension. Those
who spoke in favour of the strike to continue wondered why it should be
called off on the basis of pleas and verbal promises by the President
Jonathan when the government is allegedly reputed for not honouring
agreements.
LEADERSHIP further gathered that those rooting for the suspension of
the strike spoke passionately on the need to consider the impact of the
strike on students and the gesture from Jonathan who met personally with
ASUU leaders and pleaded with them to suspend the strike.
Dr David Jangkham, chairman of the University of Jos chapter, after
announcing the results of the voting, said the national body which would
collate the referendum from various chapters will come up with a stand
on whether the strike would be suspended or sustained.
The ASUU congress, University of Ibadan, failed to reach a resolution to end the strike.
Although journalists were barred from covering the congress, feelers
have it that members asked their leadership to commit the president to
signing the resolution of FG/ASUU meeting held last week and include a
non-victimisation clause so as not to allow any contentious issue to be
generated afterwards about the agreement.
Also speaking in a solidarity appearance at the congress, former
minister of petroleum Prof. Tam David West yesterday warned that only
justice in all sectors can stop any form of strike in Nigeria.
He said, “ASUU will continue to go on strike as long as there is
injustice in the system. I am not congratulating the president. How can I
commend him for a wasted five months? This should be condemned. You
must sign what you will implement. I am saying that I will continue to
support ASUU struggles.”
As at the time of filing this report, members of the ASUU at the
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, were still holding the
chapter’s congress, but sources close to the union confirmed that
members had already opted for the suspension of the industrial action.
Similarly, other members of the union from various other campuses
including Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso;
Rivers State University of Science and Technology, RSUST, Port Harcourt;
and Kogi State University, Ayingba, told LEADERSHIP that they were
optimistic that the strike would be called off on Thursday after the NEC
might have met between tomorrow evening and Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, arrangements have been concluded for tomorrow’s crucial
NEC meeting of the ASUU at the Bayero University, Kano, where the
protracted strike embarked upon by the teachers’ union is expected to be
called off.
Investigations by LEADERSHIP revealed that some of the union’s
chapters’ leaders were already moving to the venue of the meeting as at
yesterday following the conclusion of their congresses earlier in the
day.
The chairman of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, chapter of the
union, Dr Oghenekaro Ogbinaka, told LEADERSHIP that he was already on
his way to Kano when the newspaper called to know the outcome of the
chapter’s congress.
But efforts to speak to the chairman of the NEC’s host university, Dr
A. Baffa, was unsuccessful as calls put through to his mobile line were
unanswered.
Incidentally, some university students are already getting set to
return to campuses and have appealed to ASUU not to dampen their
spirits. Some students, however, said that the timing of the suspension
could pose a challenge.
One of the students who sought anonymity said, “I’ll be glad if the
strike is called off, because it is long overdue but there might be a
problem with the timing. There is every possibility that once we get
back to school, we’d be rushed through the first semester and might find
ourselves writing exams when we are hardly prepared for it.”
Another student said, “Many of us, the affected students, have not
been idle during this period. We have projects already in motion that
would be abruptly cut short if we are called back to school now. It
won’t be a very bad idea if we start the academic year on a fresh page
in January.”
A 300-level student also said that academic performances of students
might suffer. She said, “Many students have become very distant from
their books and, since exams might be looming almost immediately after
resumption, we might not have enough time to reconcile ourselves with
our academic level before the strike.”
SOURCE:Leardership newspaper
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