The next move of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) is not yet clear, even after its zonal
chapters have held congress meetings to deliberate on a new offer from
the federal government. The union’s National Executive Council (NEC) is
expected to hold a decisive meeting tomorrow to make its final position
known.
Following a marathon meeting with
President Jonathan last week, the ASUU leadership had briefed the zonal
coordinators on the outcome and consequently directed the local branches
to organise congress meetings to vote for or against the suspension of
the four-month-old strike.
But reports coming from the Jos chapter
of ASUU yesterday said the lecturers voted in favour of continuation of
the strike on the grounds that the meeting between the union and
Jonathan did not
achieve anything concrete.
The Jos decision was taken at a
referendum where 194 voted for the strike to be continued while 80 voted
in favour of a suspension. Those who spoke in favour of the strike to
continue wondered why it should be called off on the basis of pleas and
verbal promises by the President Jonathan when the government is
allegedly reputed for not honouring agreements.
LEADERSHIP further gathered that those
rooting for the suspension of the strike spoke passionately on the need
to consider the impact of the strike on students and the gesture from
Jonathan who met personally with ASUU leaders and pleaded with them to
suspend the strike.
Dr David Jangkham, chairman of the
University of Jos chapter, after announcing the results of the voting,
said the national body which would collate the referendum from various
chapters will come up with a stand on whether the strike would be
suspended or sustained.
The ASUU congress, University of Ibadan, failed to reach a resolution to end the strike.
Although journalists were barred from
covering the congress, feelers have it that members asked their
leadership to commit the president to signing the resolution of FG/ASUU
meeting held last week and include a non-victimisation clause so as not
to allow any contentious issue to be generated afterwards about the
agreement.
Also speaking in a solidarity appearance
at the congress, former minister of petroleum Prof. Tam David West
yesterday warned that only justice in all sectors can stop any form of
strike in Nigeria.
He said, “ASUU will continue to go on
strike as long as there is injustice in the system. I am not
congratulating the president. How can I commend him for a wasted five
months? This should be condemned. You must sign what you will implement.
I am saying that I will continue to support ASUU struggles.”
As at the time of filing this report,
members of the ASUU at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife,
were still holding the chapter’s congress, but sources close to the
union confirmed that members had already opted for the suspension of the
industrial action.
Similarly, other members of the union
from various other campuses including Ladoke Akintola University of
Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso; Rivers State University of Science and
Technology, RSUST, Port Harcourt; and Kogi State University, Ayingba,
told LEADERSHIP that they were optimistic that the strike would be
called off on Thursday after the NEC might have met between tomorrow
evening and Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, arrangements have been
concluded for tomorrow’s crucial NEC meeting of the ASUU at the Bayero
University, Kano, where the protracted strike embarked upon by the
teachers’ union is expected to be called off.
Investigations by LEADERSHIP revealed
that some of the union’s chapters’ leaders were already moving to the
venue of the meeting as at yesterday following the conclusion of their
congresses earlier in the day.
The chairman of the University of Lagos,
UNILAG, chapter of the union, Dr Oghenekaro Ogbinaka, told LEADERSHIP
that he was already on his way to Kano when the newspaper called to know
the outcome of the chapter’s congress.
But efforts to speak to the chairman of
the NEC’s host university, Dr A. Baffa, was unsuccessful as calls put
through to his mobile line were unanswered.
Incidentally, some university students
are already getting set to return to campuses and have appealed to ASUU
not to dampen their spirits. Some students, however, said that the
timing of the suspension could pose a challenge.
One of the students who sought anonymity
said, “I’ll be glad if the strike is called off, because it is long
overdue but there might be a problem with the timing. There is every
possibility that once we get back to school, we’d be rushed through the
first semester and might find ourselves writing exams when we are hardly
prepared for it.”
Another student said, “Many of us, the
affected students, have not been idle during this period. We have
projects already in motion that would be abruptly cut short if we are
called back to school now. It won’t be a very bad idea if we start the
academic year on a fresh page in January.”
A 300-level student also said that
academic performances of students might suffer. She said, “Many students
have become very distant from their books and, since exams might be
looming almost immediately after resumption, we might not have enough
time to reconcile ourselves with our academic level before the strike.”
Source: Leadership Newspaper
No comments:
Post a Comment