ASUU STRIKE HAS INCREASED PROSTITUTION - CSO

COALITION of Civil Society Organizations, Market women and students
have staged a protest with placards of different inscriptions at the
Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, over the continuous strike by
the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, alleging that the
strike has increased prostitution in the country.

The group which noted that the strike was entering the fourth month
appealed to the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, the Trade Union
Congress, TUC and appealed to the union to call off the strike in the
interest of Nigerians.
Some of the placards read, "ASUU please save our young girls from
prostitution, NLC, TUC and NUPENG mediate now, Stop playing politics
with our future, This ASUU strike has lost its tactics, ASUU please
save our future."
Though, the group in some of the placards had accused the striking
university teachers of being selfish and too rigid in their demands,
in what looked like a contradiction, the groups also said that the
demands were germane and for the good of the education system.
Delivering a letter to the NLC President at the Labour House, the
leader of the protest and Executive Director of Conscience Nigeria,
Comrade Tosin Adeyanju said that they decided to embark on the protest
to appeal to the labour leaders to mediate on the lingering face-off
between ASUU and the Federal Government that had led to the continuous
closure of public universities in the country.
Comrade Adeyanjul said, "We embarked on this protest today to further
appeal to all major stakeholders in the Nigeria project and we deem it
fit to come to the labour house because of the strategic importance
that labour represents in this country.
"For almost 100 days, our students, our dependants, our children have
been locked out of our ivory towers and nothing has changed. We are
here to appeal to the labour leaders in this country to come and
mediate on the lingering and prolonged ASUU strikes.
"We are not unaware on the germane and relevant issues raised by ASUU,
there is need for our institutions to be revitalized, there is need
for improved research, there is need for improved allowance, there is
need for infrastructural development in ivory towers, but all over the
world no country has been able to meet the demands of labour unions
100 per cent."
"With the information available to us, we are aware that the federal
government proposed and has given ASUU a 100 billion initial fund
requested for different issues in the various universities.
We are aware that ASUU appealed for more money to be given on the
earned allowance and 30 billion was given for earned allowance as at
today about 130 billion has been given to ASUU."
Receiving the protesters, President of NLC, Abduwaheed Omar,
represented by the Chief Economist of NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo'eson said
that the labour leaders had initiated moves by writing to the Federal
government about four times on how to mediate but government had not
responded to their letters.