University of Ibadan and Ahmadu BelloUniversity chapters, have voted
for the suspension of the strike by the union during chapter
congresses held nationwide.
The union met with a Federal Government team led by President Goodluck
Jonathan last Tuesday in Abuja.
Government has promised to inject N220bn yearly into the public
universities for the next five years.
The ASUU leadership, after briefing the zonal coordinators on the
offer, had directed the local branches to organise congress meetings
between Friday last week and Tuesday (today).
This is to enable all the lecturers to make input into the action the
union would take after its NEC meeting on Thursday.
As at press time on Monday, 20 of the 28 chapters that had concluded
their meetings supported the suspension of the strike, while the
remaining eight preferred that the varsity teachers pressed on with
the strike.
The teachers in the University of Abuja, for instance, supported the
suspension of the strike but listed conditions that must be met by the
Federal Government.
A source at the meeting on Monday said the congress demanded that the
withheld three months salaries of the lecturers must be paid.
"Members also demanded for commitment on funding. We also want
assurance from government that no lecturer will be victimised on the
account of participating in the strike. We also asked that the
template for sharing the earned allowance should be prepared within
the next two weeks," the source added.
The conditions were the same for Nasarawa State University, which
voted for continuation of the strike.
Chairman of ASUU in the school, Dr. Theophilus Lagi, told our
correspondent after the congress that as far as his members were
concerned the strike should continue.
He said, "There are certain grey areas that must be cleared. The 'no
work no pay' policy must be sorted out. Government must pay lecturers
the arrears.
"We also need evidence that the N200bn that government promised to
release this year is in the central bank. We are not going to suspend
the strike until the money is there and available for sourcing. That
is the position of the congress.
"Nobody trusts government. They have been making promises since 2009
and nothing has been implemented except the N30bn earned allowances.
"Secondly, the 2009 agreement is due for review; nothing has been said
about that. Lecturers have been denied salary for three months, those
monies must be paid."
Among the universities that supported that the strike be called off
are Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Federal University of Technology,
Minna; University of Lagos; University of Ibadan; University of
Calabar; University of Port-Harcourt; Federal University of
Technology, Akure; Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto; and Ekiti
State University.
The list also include the Federal University of Technology, Owerri;
Delta State University; Bayero University Kano; Imo State University;
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; and Olabisi Onabanjo
University, among others.
On the other hand, majority of lecturers at the University of Benin;
and University of Jos wanted the strike to continue.
However, in the Bauchi zone of the union, five universities voted for
continuation of the state strike, while the remaining three threw
their weight against the continuation of the strike.
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