Withholding our salary will not deter us —ASUU

Teachers in the nation’s public universities on
Monday vowed to continue with the strike,
declaring that the attempt by the Federal
Government to withhold their salaries would
not stop their action.
They also described a section of the National
Association of Nigerian Students distancing
themselves from the strike as “politically
motivated students.”
The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of
Universities, University of Abuja chapter, Dr.
Clement Chup, stated this in an online
interview with our correspondent.
The Federal Government, by withholding their
salaries, he said, would not make them to
abandon their cause.
He said, “Yes, the non-payment of our August
salary is another attempt by the government
to stampede us into breaking the strike, and
as usual, it will not work. The economic war
the government is employing has never, and
will never yield any dividend.
“Our next line of action is to continue with
the strike. We had, on July 2, commenced a
total, comprehensive and indefinite strike
action, and as long as the government does
not meet our demand of implementing the
FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement, the strike will
continue.”
On comments by the leadership of NANS that
the students were no longer supporting the
strike, Chup said those making the call were
“political and mercenary students.”
“The NANS that say they do not support us
are the mercenary students. They are the
political, non-matriculated students. Our
genuine students do understand the issues
that warranted the strike, and are fully in our
support.”
Chup, an associate professor at UNIABUJA,
also alleged that the Governor Gabriel
Suswam-led NEEDS Assessment Committee was
only interested in awarding contracts in the
universities.
According to him, the committee is arbitrarily
awarding contracts to the governing councils
of the universities without considering the
peculiarities of the schools.
He added, “The committee is merely giving
letters of award to the governing councils and
intends to handle the contracts, not minding
the peculiarities of the universities.
“The question to ask the governor is, why
insist on going ahead with the implementation
of the projects when the committee has yet to
agree with the principal party involved’? I
think the Suswam committee was only
interested in awarding contracts.”