At last, ASUU suspends strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has suspended its over 5months strike.

ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Fagge disclosed this in Minna while briefing newsmen.

The Union suspended the strike after a marathon National Executive Committee meeting held in the Niger State capital, yesterday.

The different chapters of ASUU are expected to hold congress meetings on Wednesday, following which academic activities  will resume in the universities.

The marathon NEC meeting was held to deliberate over the agreement signed Wednesday, last week, by the union executives and the federal government.
The meeting, Vanguard gathered was attended by ASUU branch chairmen and secretaries, the national executive members of the Union, coordinators and past leaders, including members from 52 universities.

Public universities lecturers have been on strike since July 1, 2013.

ASUU yet to call off strike

Journalists were , Monday, assaulted by some officials of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), while they were waiting for the outcome of  the Union’s  National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting holding at the Federal University of Technology,  in Minna.

The closed-door meeting which started at about 11:30am was still ongoing at press time.

However, there was disagreement among ASUU members over the presence of the media, some suggested the media should stay because they are doing their job, others persisted that “we did not invite them. When we need them, we will invite them.”

The Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology Minna, Prof. Musbau Akanji,  who got wind of the altercation between journalists and the ASUU officials,  intervened saying, “although, I am not a part of the meeting but I am apologizing on their behalf because they are in my territory.

“This place (FUT, Minna) is a Federal Government institution, and it is a public place that everybody, including journalists can enter, especially when they are doing their job.”

As at the time of filing this report, the strike has not been called off.

ASUU STRIKE: FG bows, extends deadline to Dec 9

The Federal Government, yesterday, reviewed the seven-day ultimatum given to striking university lecturers to resume today or be sacked as it now gave them till Monday, December 9. This came as most members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities remained adamant and vowed to continue with the strike until their demands were met.

ASUU president, Dr. Nasir Issa Fagge has also assured that once the government opens the bank account with N200 billion as requested by the union, the strike would be suspended.
Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, who announced the shift in the date for the compulsory resumption of Federal Universities to Monday, December 9, said it was as a mark of respect for the former National President of the Academic Staff  Union of Universities, ASUU, Professor Festus Iyayi, who died in an auto accident on his way to a National Executive Committee meeting of ASUU.

Speaking in Abuja, yesterday, Mr Wike said that the family of the late Professor Iyayi officially informed the ministry of the burial rites for the late ASUU President through the National Universities Commission, NUC, on Monday, hence the shift in the mandatory resumption date.

He said that the Federal Government will fully participate in the burial rites of the former ASUU President.

According to a statement by the minister’s Special Assistant, Simeon Nwakaudu: “The decision to shift the date of the compulsory resumption of Federal Universities for academic activities has been taken as a result of the respect we have for the former ASUU President”.

Wike stated that the Federal Government took the decision to re-open the universities in the interest of Nigerians and not to engender any form of show-down with ASUU.

He said Nigerians must appreciate the fact that the pro-chancellors and chairmen of the Federal Universities Governing Councils took the decision to re-open the schools, pointing out that the Federal Government’s directive was to the vice-chancellors who are expected to comply with the directive of the pro-chancellors.

The minister also said that the Federal Government has already opened a dedicated account for the revival of infrastructure in the universities, while the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education has signed the resolution that the Federal Government will commit N1.3trillion into the revival of infrastructure in the universities.

He stated that despite the repeated misrepresentation of facts on the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, the Federal Government had implemented over 80 per cent of the issues contained in the document, with only the payment of earned allowances and revitalisation of infrastructure pending.

Culled from Vanguard

We cannot be intimidated -- ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday said that it would not be intimidated by the Federal Government's directive to resume work on or before Dec. 4 without resolving the industrial dispute.
Mr Clement Chup, the Chairman of ASUU, the University of Abuja chapter, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that there was nothing like re-opening the universities or calling off the strike.

The Federal Government had on Thursday directed all Vice-Chancellors of the federal universities that were on strike to immediately re-open the universities for academic and allied activities.
The Federal Government also directed the universities’ Pro-Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors to ensure that lecturers who resumed for work were provided with the enabling environment for academic and allied activities.
The government, however, warned that any lecturer who failed to resume on or before Dec. 4, automatically ceased to be a member of staff of the institution.
It also directed the Vice-Chancellors directed to advertise vacancies (internal and external) in their institutions.

Some parents and students, who spoke with the NAN in Abuja, expressed mixed feelings concerning the Federal Government’s directive.
Mr Ekpontas Uwanna, a parent, said that it was improper for the Federal Government to order ASUU to call off its strike in such an abrupt manner, without reaching an agreement with the union.
``This is a civilised country and I think people have been trying to sympathise with the government over ASUU strike.
``'But with such pronouncement, I do not think that it is the right way that the Federal Government should handle this matter,’’ he added.

Another parent, Mrs Joy Amadi, said that it was a shame that the state of affairs of the country’s tertiary education sector was being handled in such a manner.
``We are not in the military era; this is democracy and any agreement entered into by the Federal Government, be it with anybody or association, must be kept.
``Issuing threat is not the option but with mutual understanding of both parties and patience, there will be peace and harmony in the sector,’’ she said.
Mr Dele Oluwadayo, also a parent, said that the strike had dragged on for too long, adding that parents and students were fed up with the industrial action.
``I think that the Federal Government and the Pro-Chancellors are doing the right thing by calling for the re-opening of the universities.

``But I want to say that the Federal government should not be hard on the lecturers.
``I think ASUU is fighting for a good cause but they should also be considerate,’’ he said.
However, a student, Mohammed Aliyu, urged ASUU to abide by the Federal Government's directive.
``It is better for ASUU to work with the Federal Government's terms and reference; we are tired of the strike,’’ he said.
Another student, Priscilla Ekoma, said that the Federal Government’s directive was not in order.
``Although it is not that I am happy that we are on strike, but it is very, very wrong for the Federal Government to order ASUU to resume work just like that.

``ASUU is making a case for all the universities in the country and an agreement should be reached, the crisis cannot be resolved via intimidation or threat,’’ Ekoma said.
NAN reports that all efforts to get the reaction of the ASUU National President, Dr Nasir Fagge, as at the time of filing this report proved abortive, as he did not pick the reporter's calls. (NAN)

FG gives ASUU one week ultimatum to call off strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has been given one week ultimatum to call off the ongoing strike.

The directive was given today, in Abuja by the acting Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike while speaking with journalists.

The union has been on strike since July 1 over the non Implementation of a 2009 agreement with the federal government.
According to reports, the lecturers at their NEC meeting last week in Kano, demanded that government should pay the four-month salary arrears being owed varsity lecturers while there should be immediate implementation of the N1.2tn offerred by the goverment to public varsities, starting with the release of N100bn this year, before the strike can be called off.

A demand the acting Minister Wike had described as ,”outrageous.”

Meantime, ASUU had said it would meet with President Jonathan on the decisions reached at its NEC meeting before any announcement will be made concerning the 5months old strike.

Source: Vanguard

ASUU rises from NEC meeting, keeps mum

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) rose from a two-day National Executive Council Meeting (NEC) on Saturday in Kano with a resolve to keep mum until it met with President Goodluck Jonathan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was held at an undisclosed venue, away from the ASUU secretariat.

However, a reliable source in the association who spoke with NAN on Saturday, in Kano,

said: ‘’ASUU has decided to meet with President Jonathan before making whatever decision they took during the meeting public.’’
The source added that 60 per cent of the members wanted the strike called off while the remaining 40 per cent wanted it to continue.
NAN recalls the NEC meeting was billed to hold two weeks ago but was postponed following the death of a former ASUU President, Prof. Festus Iyayi in a road accident in Lokoja. (NAN)

ASUU may call off strike next Thursday

There are indications that the on-going strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities might be called off next Thursday.

Governor of Benue State, Mr Gabriel Suswam who dropped this hint Friday said ASUU and the Federal Government had reached agreements on all the contentious issues  that led to the industrial action except two.

Suswam who was appointed as Chairman of the Needs Assessment Implementation Committee of the Federal Government said after next Thursday’s  deliberations between his Committee and the various agencies of government funding tertiary  education, all the contentious issues would likely be resolved.

Speaking to news men  in Abuja after attending a meeting between the Federal Government’s delegation and ASUU, Suswam said that agreements had been reached by both parties on all issues except two.

Said he: “We reached agreements on all issues except two. These two issues are those of earned allowances  of lecturers and  intervention for the federal universities. These are the only issues that are still outstanding.”

The Benue Governor further said he believed that by next week  after  his Committee would  have arrived at an agreement on all the issues, ASUU would call off the strike.

He continued:  ”The SGF would meet with the leadership of ASUU on the issue of earned allowances by next Monday.

Then my committee which is dealing with the issue of the needs assessment of the universities  would meet again next Thursday and take another look at all the infrastructural deficits which the federal universities are facing.

If you go to our universities, you would agree that they are facing infrastructural deficits and that is why my committee would meet with all the funding agencies next Thursday for the purpose of prioritizing all the projects that need to be executed.  We are going to invite all the agencies that are involved in the funding of the universities including the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

Suswam further stated that the issues on  agreements have been reached include:  those of retirement age for  university lecturers- which has now been increased from 65 to 70 years; the constitution of the governing councils of the universities  which has already been done by the Government; the setting up of  a  pension administrator and  the issue of persuading companies operating in the country to set up research centers in the universities.

Said he: “As far as I am concerned, if the issues concerning  intervention and earned allowances are resolved next week,  then the strike could be called off”

Among those who attended  the  meeting were  Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Labour, Hon. Emeka Wogu,  Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayatu Rufai and  President of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Nasir Fagge.