Varsity labs remain shut as NAAT vows to continue strike

Laboratories in public universities across the country, have remained shut as the National Association of Academic Technologists, vowed to continue with the strike it embarked on since December last year.
NAAT President, Comrade Sani Suleiman, while speaking with journalists in Abuja, said there has been total compliance by its members in all the universities.
He said the union which embarked on the strike with other sister unions, like the Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and Senior Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), has held several meetings with the government, including minister of education and House of Representatives committee on education, with none yielding positive result.
“We have sent national monitoring team to all the universities, and the result we got as far as the strike is concerned is encouraging, and so we will continue with the strike until we hear something favourable from the government.”
Meanwhile, the union, at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, accused the government of apparent insensitivity to the agitations of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) Unions of NAAT, NASU and SSANU to have lingered up till now, without a show of concern.
In a communique signed by NAAT General Secretary, Comrade Iyoyo Hamilton, the union resolved to continue with the strike, saying by its attitude, the union wonders how much importance if any, the government attaches to education.
They therefore called on the government to do the needful, so that the unions may call off or suspend the strike action.
The communique reads further, “NAAT observes with dismay, the extremely slow pace by which the federal government is handling the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/NAAT Agreement for Universities, Colleges of Education and Polytechnics. We urge government to embark upon the renegotiation exercise with the seriousness it deserves.”
On some national issues, the union frowned at the continuous epileptic fuel supply situation and the attendant long queues at filling stations across the country.
It stated that this has lingered for too long, adding that the resultant adverse effects have been increase in transport fares, increase in food prices as well as other goods and services, leading to excruciating hardship on the populace.
It therefore called on government to take urgent steps to address the situation permanently.
It however commended government’s efforts at diversifying the economy through agriculture.
According to them, available records from the National Bureau of Statistics indicate steady decline in importation of some food items, which means progress in the direction of self-sufficiency in food production.
“Government is hereby advised to maintain focus, such that the result is positively felt by the populace through cheap or affordable food prices,” it stated.

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