ASUU may call off strike if FG complies – Osodeke

Emmanuel Osodeke, the national president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated that calling off the strike will depend on the federal government’s ability to comply with resolutions reached with the Briggs committee.

Osodeke disclosed this when asked if ASUU would call the strike off soon since the union had a fair deliberation with the committee according to his submission.

‘‘I don’t know if we are calling off the strike soon. We are waiting for the final response from the government.

“It is a committee of different government agencies. They need to go back to their principal and look at what we agreed on and then get back to us. When they respond to us, we will give you full details,” he said.

The ASUU leadership had earlier revealed that the meeting with Briggs committee was fair and that ASUU is expecting the government to respond to the issues they discussed with the committee.

The federal government had in March inaugurated a 7-man committee chaired by Nimi Briggs, the pro-chancellor, Alex Ekweme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State with the responsibility of renegotiating the controversial 2009 agreement reached with ASUU and bring an end to the ongoing strike embarked the union since February 14.

Meanwhile, the ASUU president has stated that the union would sanction erring chapters that failed to comply with the union’s decision to continue with the strike action.

Read also: ASUU strike: Abdussobur Salaam advocates total freedom for renegotiation committee

He disclosed this recently in Abuja while responding to questions, he revealed that the union has sent queries to universities that failed to comply with its decision to remain on strike while negotiations with the federal government last.

According to Osodeke, “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.”

Some of the universities that declared they’re pulling out of the strike are Delta State University, Abraka, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam, Anambra State, the Lagos State University (LASU), the Kwara State University, Osun State University, and Kaduna State University, among others.

Recall that lecturers of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso in Oyo State decline the directives by the state governor to call off the strike.

The ASUU chapter of the university refused to resume lectures stating that the strike is the good of all public universities and lecturers.

ASUU has been on strike for about four months to press home its demands among which include funding for the revitalisation of public universities, Earned Academic Allowances, use of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS), and promotion arrears.