• SSANU starts indefinite strike
The Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU) has criticised President Goodluck
Jonathan for criticising the strike by the
university teachers.
ASUU, in a statement by the Chairman of the
University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Olusegun
Ajiboye entitled “Nigeria at 53: No message of
hope for Nigerians Yet”, said the Presidential
Media Chat was empty.
Dr. Ajiboye said the president ‘is politicising
the ASUU strike’ , saying it was unfortunate for
the president to treat the sector with such
‘hatred and disfavour’.
He said: “It was clear that Mr. President was
just rehearsing the positions of his aides. He
said ASUU strike has been politicised. The
question is by who? It is evident that rather
than ASUU, the president and his team are the
ones politicising education and playing with
the future of the teeming youths of this
country. ASUU members successfully midwifed
the 2011 general elections and they were not
accused of playing politics then! It is only now
some people are waking up to label members
of ASUU of playing politics with strike.
“ASUU members are not politicians. When
ASUU members risked their lives to conduct
free and fair elections in 2011, they were not
referred to as politicians. Now that they are
fighting for universities, they have become
politicians. We reject that position; we believe
that that position is not correct and it does
not represent our motivation.
“ASUU members are patriotic Nigerians who
believe in the emancipation and development
of education in this country. We cannot play
politics with Nigeria’s future. The 2009
agreement is sacrosanct. It is aimed at re-
fertilsing and rejuvenating the Nigerian
University System (NUS).”
Ajiboye also said it was wrong for President
Jonathan to say state universities should not be
part of the agreement.
“The President hasn’t got a good grasp of
reality. It is JAMB that regulates admissions
into both federal and state universities –
including private universities. It is the NUC
(National Universities Commission) that
oversees accreditation in all universities. It is
The President does not realise that the
Nigerian Universities System is one system. For
him to be talking about federal or state
universities is an anomaly and I believe he will
go back and study the issue from a different
dimension.”
The chairman of ASUU at the Lagos State
University (LASU), Dr Fikayo Idris, said it was
wrong of the Federal Government to complain
about state universities’ involvement in the
strike.
He said: “It will be mischievous of any official,
especially those who have knowledge about the
negotiations that took place ahead of the MOU
ASUU signed with Federal Government last
year.
“The NEEDS Assessment Report ,which
government itself conducted, highlighted the
rots in the universities system at both the state
and federal levels. That was why both parties
agreed Federal Government’s intervention
should be for both federal and state
universities.”
The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria
Universities (SSANU) yesterday began an
indefinite strike until the Federal Government
accedes to the 2009 agreement signed with it.
The Chairman of the union in UI, Wale
Akinremi said: “We have been short-changed
by the government on the area of subventions
and we cannot take it again.”
He spoke yesterday at a congress held by the
chapter at the Arts Theatre, UI, Ibadan.
The union leader said: “Non-teaching members
of staff are wrongly placed in the education
system, and these issues must be holistically
addressed.”
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