Why ASUU agreed to call off strike – Investigation




Though what the Federal Government offered striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, fell beyond the lecturers’ expectations, they agreed to suspend their eight months industrial action because of the economic situation in the country and pressures from some stakehoders.

The decision was not based on the negotiating ability of the government team which the union has not been comfortable with, checks by Vanguardhave revealed.

As ASUU and FG teams met penultimate Friday, the National Bureau of Statistics announced that Nigeria had gone into another round of economic recession, as the Gross Domestic Products, GDP, shrank for the second consecutive quarter.

The fact was corroborated by the World Bank which described the recession as the worst in over 30 years.

A leader of ASUU, who spoke to our correspondent in confidence, said if the union was to consider government’s handling of the issue, the strike could go on for a very long time.

“Though the government tried to paint us as the aggressor and engaged on futile propaganda, we won’t be deterred. Yes, we all know the poor state of the economy now, but even when everything was going on well, what did the government do with the revenue? What are they doing now to make things better?

“Many well-meaning Nigerians and groups have been in contact with us, appealing to us too. We are ready to soft-pedal on some conditions which we hope the government will not bungle,” the source said.

With the government adding N5 billion to the N65 billion it promised paying for the revitalisation of the system and for the payment of Earned Academic Allowances and also promising to clear the withheld salaries of lecturers before the end of the year, the coast is now clear for universities to resume.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tertiary institutions will reopen very soon — Minister

Image
National Union of Universities The Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, on Saturday, assured Nigerian students languishing at their homes that tertiary institutions across the country will reopen very soon. Though he did not give a specific date for the re-opening, he said he would articulate the situation report from the National Universities Commission, NUC, and other regulatory bodies of various tertiary institutions and present to the Presidential Task Force, PTF on COVID-19 for evaluation. Nwajiuba disclosed this during an NTA programme on ‘Nigeria Policy Brief on Education and COVID-19’, adding that he has received calls from private universities and public universities for reopening of tertiary institutions in the country. “Tertiary institutions across the country will open very soon. Private universities have written us, requesting that they are allowed to reopen ahead of public institutions. Vice-Chancellors have also requested that we allow them to reo
Read more

Thiago Silva says farewell to PSG ahead of Chelsea move

Image
Thiago Silva Thiago Silva took to social media on Wednesday to bid farewell to the Paris Saint-Germain faithful ahead of his anticipated move to Chelsea. Silva joined PSG in 2012 from AC Milan and went on to lead the French side to seven Ligue 1 titles in eight seasons, part of a total haul of 23 trophies during his time at Parc des Princes. But the Brazil defender was not offered a fresh contract at the end of his current deal, instead signing a temporary extension which came to an end with PSG’s defeat to Bayern Munich in Sunday’s Champions League final, the first in the club’s history. Chelsea have since emerged as the front-runners to sign Silva, with reports that he will soon sign a two-year deal to join the west London club circulating. Silva took the opportunity to pay tribute to his former supporters, quoting renowned Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa in a heart-felt message shared on Instagram. “The value of things is not in the time that they last, but in the intensity with wh
Read more

School is Scam: True or False? By Stanley Nwadike, University of Nigeria Nsukka

Image
Stanley Nwadike. Author: The Outstanding Student School is scam when said in Pidgin English (a parlance in Nigeria) can be rephrased to “School na Scam”. This slogan according to its users connotes that the idea of going to school is a waste of time because school is not contributive to one’s betterment in life. To them, going to school is not important because it seems there is no difference between those that went and those that did not.  When you here the slogan “School na Scam”, it’s just like one saying ‘school is useless’. This slogan or parlance is entirely false. It is being pushed and propagated by some deviants or those who are not willing to strive towards becoming useful or responsible to themselves and society at large. These set of people look for short cut to success and get-rich-quick avenues. To them, why waste time in school when others are making it big in the outside world. The funny aspect with people with this kind of mindset is that some of the famous people th
Read more