ASSU STRIKE: FG Attempting To Break Our Ranks

ACADEMIC Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Benin zone,Thursday, alleged that the Federal Government wants to break their ranks with the purported disbursement of the N130 billion to Universities Pro-Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors.

Rejecting what it described as arbitrary imposition of money from government on them, the zone noted that “the strike has indeed moved into a critical phase where government is now applying the instrument of intimidation and blackmail and other gimmicks to undermine the struggle.”

Addressing newsmen at Delta State University, Abraka, Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Sunny Ighalo, said: “ASUU has been on a nationwide indefinite strike action to express its frustration over the continuing reluctance of government to fully implement vital aspects of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement as captured by the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, of January, 2012.

“This struggle is to stem the continuing trend with successive governments of Nigeria to systematically destroy public education through neglect and near total abandonment.

‘No fresh demand’
“For the avoidance of doubt, our union is not on strike to make fresh demands, neither is it ready to renegotiate the existing agreement, rather we are calling on government to implement the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement it willingly signed with the union in 2009.

“At this juncture, it is important to let you know that the government is desperate to break our resolve on the ongoing struggle.

“As part of government strategy to force the union to end the strike, the Committees of Pro-Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors were summoned to a meeting in Abuja, where there was a unilateral disbursement N130 billion to them without recourse to the recommendations of the report of the Technical Committee on the Needs Assessment.

“The money is not only at variance with the letters of our 2009 Agreement as captured by the MoU of 2012, but a total negation of all honorable means of respecting an agreement.”