Friday, March 29, 2024

ASUU Strike: We’ll make country ungovernable if… – Obasi, NANS President

As the industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities enters its second week, the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students has tasked both the Federal Government and ASUU to resolve the logjam or risk nationwide public unrest.

The NANS lamented that each time the ASUU goes on strike, it is the Nigerian students that bear the brunt, stressing that once the 21-day ultimatum given to the ASUU and the FG to resolve the impasse lapsed, it would simply ground all public systems.

The ultimatum, which was issued on August 14, expires on September 4.

The National President of NANS, Mr. Chinonso Obasi, in a chat with The Point, said though NANS was neither an auxiliary member of ASUU or its apologist, it nonetheless believes that the FG should call the lecturers to a round-table talk, with a sincere purpose of meeting their requests.

“We are not members of ASUU but our concern is that once ASUU goes on strike, it is the Nigerian students that bear the brunt. We are not interested in creating problems in the country but if grounding activities in the country is the only option to show our grievance on how it affects us, we will embark on that,” he said.
Obasi, however, noted that since the 21 days ultimatum given to the FG was still some days away, coupled with the FG’s admittance of guilt that it had reneged on its agreement with the ASUU, the students had the hope that the government would listen the ASUU and meet its demands.
“We are waiting for the Federal Government and ASUU to resolve the issues of strike, but our 21day ultimatum still stands, no matter what”, the NANS President stressed.
On the update of the ongoing negotiations by ASUU with the Federal Government on the audit of N30 billion intervention fund which the Federal Government claimed it had given to ASUU in the past, the National Chairman of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, told our correspondent that there were ongoing talks with concerned bodies and other branches of ASUU, and that the outcome of their meetings would be made known to the government and public very soon.
“I don’t have any update to give for now; all I know is that we are having meetings with the concerned authorities and the branches of ASUU in the country. We will let you know the outcome once we conclude our meetings,” he said.
ASUU went on strike on August 13 over issues of poor funding, welfare of its members and the failure of the Federal Government to honour aspects of past agreements it had with its members. The union is expected to meet with the government again this week, to discuss further on the strike.

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