Academic activities for the 2018/2019 academic session were disrupted in Yobe State University, (YSU) following a total compliance with the nationwide strike called by the local Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Damaturu, Yobe state.
The state university, which was scheduled to resume on the November 19, 2018, with lectures commencing on the December10, 2018, as indicated in the recently released time-table by the directorate of academic planning of the university, would now be halted due to the ongoing industrial action.
The chairman of the ASUU branch of YSU, Mohammed Adamu Gulani, told newsmen that the academic staff of YSU had fully complied with the ongoing nationwide strike as directed by the mother union.
“Yes, Yobe State University branch is part of the ongoing ASUU strike. We are a chartered branch, so we have to join the strike,” he said.
Gulani explained that as a chartered branch, they cannot run away from their mother union, in spite of the fact that the university was to commence the registration of new and returning students.
On the alleged non-compliance to ASUU strikes previously, he explained that the YSU branch, since its inception over six years ago, has been loyal to the national body of the union by obeying its calls for strike.
“Since the inception of our union as a chartered branch, we are fully complying with directives whenever the national body begins a nationwide strike. We fully joined the 2013 strike, which lasted for six months,” he said.
Gulani disagreed with the view by some individuals that it is the state government that provided every infrastructure in the institution, noting that a greater percentage of the structures are provided by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) over the years.
“When you go round the university almost everything is read TETfund NEED ASSESSMENT. We know that the state government is doing its best to see that the university survives,” the chairman said.
He stressed that the action which the YSU branch took was in the best interest of its staff, students and the state at large.
“In 2013 when federal government disbursed money to all Nigerian universities, YSU also benefited from that amount and now the federal government is still trying to give out N20bn, which the university is going to enjoy. It is only chartered branches that enjoyed this money,” he said.
Gulani however, expressed hope that the government will look into the demands of the union in good time so Nigerians students would not be denied resumption on their various campuses.
Recall that ASUU has been at loggerheads with the federal government since November 4, 2018, over what they described as insensitivity of the federal government to fund ailing universities in the country.
