No Going Back On Strike-ASUU President

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines Saturday, September 7th, 2013

Nigeria's Minister of Education, Prof. Ruquayyatu Rufa’i.

Prof. Rufai, Nigeria’s Minister of Education

The President, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Nasir Fagge has vowed that the university lecturers will not call off the ongoing strike until the Federal Government implements the agreement it reached with union in 2009.

Academic activities had been paralysed in Nigeria’s citadel of learning since July 1, 2013 when university lecturers began an indefinite strike to compel the government to implement the FG-ASUU agreement of 2009 which bothers on improved salary package for the lecturers and repositioning the university system to make it competitive.

According to Fagge, the lecturers had embarked on the strike in good faith and believed that it would make the government honour the agreement it reached with the union, as the teachers were not ready to call off the strike until they got what they wanted from government.

“The Federal Government knows what we want and can do it but just won’t do anything. Once they implement the agreement, everybody will be fine and we’ll get back to work,” he stated.

He added that the students appeared not to understand what the lecturers were fighting for as it would be to their benefit in the long run, adding that the lecturers were not happy that the students remained at home, but that the strike was necessary.

Fagge said if ASUU should call off the strike, things would return to status quo, which would not augur well with the university system and the interest of the lecturers.

He stated that suspending the strike would amount to a waste of precious time and that the lecturers wanted to achieve their purpose once and for all rather than embarking on frequent strikes to fight for the same purpose.

Fagge vowed that if the government refused to shift ground, the lecturers would not be compelled to suspend or call off the industrial action, stressing that the lecturers wanted the problems on ground to be addressed and solved once and for all.