The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated that the one-month warning strike that began on February 14 would not be called off.
During an interview on Channels TV today, Feb. 28, ASUU President Professor Victor Emmanuel Osodeke stated that the group will not back down from its strike because the federal government has continually failed to uphold pledges made to the union over the years.
The union stated that it does not want pledges from the government anymore, but rather action.
Osodeke said, “For the past nine years or so, they have been giving us promises but once the strike is over, they relapse. So, our colleagues are tired of these promises which they don’t fulfill. What we want are actions.”
He claimed that ASUU would not have gone on strike if the federal government had upheld its end of the bargain.
He disagreed with the premise that academics are compensated for doing nothing.
Despite the ASUU strike over the years, he claims that several schools have never missed an academic year.
He claimed that this is because members of the union have made sacrifices for the country’s educational system, with many lecturers foregoing vacation time for years in order to adhere to the academic schedule.
Lecturers are to be paid for their labor, according to Osodeke, and anyone who claims ASUU is paid after the strike is lying.
Professor Osodeke also addressed the National Association of Nigerian Students’ scheduled protest (NANS)
He stated that students have the right to demonstrate against what they feel is wrong, but that ASUU’s decision will not be affected by the planned demonstration.