STUDENT'S DON'T WANT US TO END STRIKE - ASUU

Culled: PUNCH

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said it is continuing its
nationwide strike on the advice of university students.
In a telephone interview with pressmen, the President of the union,
Dr. Isa Fagge, said students were tired of the incessant industrial
actions by the university lecturers due to the Federal Government's
failure to implement the agreement it had with ASUU since 2009.
Fagge said the union had decided to heed the advice of the students to
continue the strike until the Federal Government fully implemented the
agreement.
"Our students have come out to say they don't want us to call off the
strike until the Federal Government answers us, because they don't
want us to call off now and later we go back to strike again. So, we
are heeding the advice of our students," he said.
On the complaint by the Federal Government that it lacked the funds to
implement the agreement, Fagge said it was not all about money, noting
that government did not need funds to start implementing some parts of
the agreement.
"There are issues and agreement they can implement without money. Why
don't they begin with those ones?" he asked.
He added that it was unfortunate that the government had pulled out of
dialogue with ASUU, stating that the union would not be intimidated.
He said, "Now, government has pulled out of the dialogue. We thought
we were the ones going on strike, but now government has also gone on
strike."
Last Thursday, university students under the auspices of the National
Association of Nigerian Students reportedly staged a peaceful protest
in Ado-Ekiti and flayed the Federal Government for failing to honour
the agreement it had with ASUU since 2009.
The students, who were from public universities, threatened to disrupt
activities of private universities, adding that the government was not
bothered about their plight because children of government officials
were studying either in private universities or studying overseas.
The university lecturers began an indefinite strike on July 1 and have
been demanding full implementation of the agreement ASUU had with the
Federal Government in 2009, which among other things include the
UNESCO-recommended 26 per cent budgetary allocation for education.
However, the government said it could not implement the agreement, and
is seeking re-negotiation.
The Federal Government, last Wednesday, accused ASUU of being
unrealistic by continuing its nationwide strike and asked it to
rethink its demands, considering other commitments government has.
The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, who gave government's
position on the strike when he briefed journalists at the end of the
weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council, said apart from
security, education was one of the sectors the government had expended
a lot of money on.