ASUU STRIKE UPDATE

Already, chairmen of local chapters of ASUU are converging on Kano, preparatory to the meeting, from where a positive resolution is being expected. Chairman of one of the federal universities in the South-South, who did not want his name mentioned, said the strike “may be suspended on Saturday.”
“Many of the chapters are disposed to ending this strike, which has cost us all a full semester. “As I speak with you, we (chairmen) are on our way to Kano for NEC meeting tomorrow (today).” Asked if the strike would be suspended, he said: “I think so, judging by reports from the Monday congresses we held simultaneously. We may suspend the strike on Saturday or Sunday.”
He, however, admonished government to ensure that it honoured its promise so as not to return the university system to this “sorry past”. This, of course, formed the basis for the Monday congresses and today’s “decider” NEC meeting.

The Kano meeting is to deliberate on whether to call off the strike as the NEC receives reports of the congresses that held “simultaneously” in all the universities across the country. Local chapters of ASUU had held their congresses on Monday to vote on the suspension or otherwise.
The said agreement, which necessitated the subsisting July 1 action, required that the Federal Government will, within a period of five years, release more than N1trn, to bridge the noticeable infrastructural deficits in the nation’s ivory towers. Also, the Federal Government would have released N92bn, for what the union christened, “earned allowance.”
However, ASUU seems to have a moral burden now as the Federal Government said it had released over N30bn as part of the contentious earned allowance. Last week’s meeting of the Fagge-led ASUU with President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, prompted positive steps by ASUU towards ending the strike.

At the meeting, President Jonathan was said to have pledged government’s readiness to release N220bn in next year’s budget and in subsequent appropriations.
Meanwhile, the University of Jos, UNIJOS, chapter of the union explained its support for the continuation of the ongoing strike. After considering the outcome of the meeting which the union’s national body had with President Jonathan, members of the branch had last Monday voted in favour of the continuation of the four month- old strike.
The UNIJOS branch of ASUU said the meeting with the President achieved nothing, a position which had also been condemned by some stakeholders The Branch Chairman, Dr. David Jangkham, said yesterday in Jos, the Plateau State capital, that his members were compelled to take the stand because of the government’s insensitivity to their plight.