We’re tired, ASUU begs

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Friday urged the federal government to “pity the children of ordinary Nigerians and quickly attend” to their demands, adding that they “are tired” of the strike.

According to the union, the federal government is rushing it to resume “because the government is scared of youth protests after they saw their demonstration during #EndSARS agitations.”

The Akure Zone of the Union which comprised the chairman of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Dr Olayinka Awopetu; Ekiti State University, Dr. Kayode Arogundade; Obafemi Awolowo University, Dr. Adeola Egbedokun, and Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Dr. Gabriel Omonijo, in a press conference disclosed the position of the union.

The statement which was read by the union’s zonal coordinator, Prof. Olu Olufayo, indicated that the industrial action was to get the government to fulfil the agreement of 2013 and 2019 and not primarily about Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPIS).

He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, our issues remain; funding for revitalization of public universities, payment of earned academic allowances, visitation panels to universities and renegotiation of 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement.

Since 2009, we have conscientiously approached the government to be faithful to implement the agreement it freely entered into with the union. The current struggle derives from this history.

“We are tired of the strike. Our children are attending the public institution and it is sad that those frustrating our agitations, their children are not attending schools in Nigeria.

It is so unfortunate. Federal government is intentionally starving us for our members to compromise and resume.”

Prof. Olufayo said meetings with the federal government of late had not solved the issues as the government was bent on dishonouring the agreement.

“Our students have stayed home for almost a year, we are not the cause, we started our strike before Covid-19 and those students are fed up and it was part of what contributed to #EndSARS and the federal government realised that.

They are now calling for negotiations that they turned down months back.

The students during #EndSARS also included End bad governance.

I know that students in Kwara State University gave the federal government two weeks’ ultimatum to sort the issue with ASUU else they will hit streets with protest, that scares the government and they are rushing us to resume.”

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