By Uche Amunike
The Nigeria ASUU Strike update as at press time, is that the Academic Staff Union of Universities has made threats to query all universities that refused to comply with its decision to continue with the strike even as negotiations with the Nigerian government is ongoing.
Speaking during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Monday, in Abuja, ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke gave this confirmation, adding that since the inception of the strike by ASUU, some of its members have since pulled out of the strike and resumed their academic activities.
His words: ‘We will punish those who have pulled out from our ongoing strike the appropriate way.’
‘We will ensure to query them and we will follow it up the appropriate way. We have even queried some of them in accordance with the union,’ he said.
Osodeke further stated that since they had their last Tripartite Plus meeting that was convened by the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, concerning the ongoing strike over a month ago, no other meeting has been convened by the government.
He also stated that at the end of that meeting, which was held at the villa, no reasonable conclusions were reached, neither has the government called for another meeting to at least be in the know about the Nigeria ASUU strike update.
‘They did not offer us anything. They just asked us to be meeting with the committee, that was all’, he said.
He however said that they will be meeting again with the government next week.
Recall that the Nigeria ASUU strike has been ongoing for the past five months all in the bid for them to press home their demands which include funding of the revitalization of public universities, University transparency accountability solution and promotion arrears, Earned Academic Allowances, renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FG Agreement and the inconsistency in Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System.
In Edo State, however, after students of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma carried out a protest over the lingering strike, the Edo State government suspended all union activities across all state-owned institutions of higher learning at its State Executive Council meeting on Wednesday. The unions include ASUU, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Non-Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics every allied Union operating across all state owned tertiary institutions.
They were mandated to resume all academic activities and every cadre of staff directed to report to work immediately. Every student across all state and tertiary institutions were directed to resume lectures as necessary measures had been taken to ensure that they resume academic and non-academic activities.
The statement released by the Edo state government partly stated: ‘Management of the affected institutions have been mandated to pay all outstanding salaries immediately.
‘The management of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, is hereby directed to implement a no-work-no-pay policy, declare vacant and advertise the position of any staff that refuses to resume work in line with this directive.’
