The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has accused the Federal Government of Nigeria of opting for punishment of its members, rather than addressing the issues that precipitated the ongoing strike.
National President of the union, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke at a meeting summoned by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, on Tuesday also accused the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu of never attempting to hold any formal meeting with the union since the strike began in February, but was quick to direct the stoppage of lecturers’ salaries.
He said if the effort at coercing the striking lecturers, through a court process back into classes succeeds in any way, “what kind of teaching will they do? It is like forcing a medical doctor to go and treat a patient”, adding that it was erroneous to see the strike as the problem, because if the strike is called off without addressing the issues, the universities will become like public primary schools.
“Instead of solving the problem, we’re being punished”, he lamented.
Speaker Gbajabiamila who convened the meeting, and was in attendance with his deputy, Idris Wase and several members of the House, had earlier posited that it was not time to beat about the issues, but finding solutions. “We’re not here to rehearse the problems. We’re not to be asking what happened, or why are we where we are? We all know the issues, and we have to resolve the issues once and for all, for our children to go back to classes.
According to him, the way to resolving the issues was for both parties to shift grounds in the interest of the students, urging ASUU to make it known, its minimum acceptable conditions. “My interest of conversation is with the ASUU. Most people are with you. We’re with you”, the speaker stated, and appealed that emotions be put aside so that the needed solution could be arrived at.
Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Opiah, who explained that Mallam Adamu was outside the country for UN Education Summit in New York, said a good number of measures have been adopted towards addressing the issues without success.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari, in about a week ago granted audience to committee of Vice Chancellors, during which it was resolved to make further consultations with a view to coming out with a wider option to be adopted in resolving the crisis.
The speaker subsequently called a closed door session for continuation of the meeting, which outcome was not yet known at the time of this report.
ENDS.
