New Telegraph

No respite for varsities as ASUU, SSANU vow to continue strike

Five months into the indefinite nationwide strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and non-teaching staff unions – SSANU, NASU and NAAT – which had totally paralysed academic and administrative activities in the nation’s public universities, there is no respite for the students. This is as the unions yesterday said there is no plan to suspend the on-going strike.

They accused the Federal Government of lack of commitment and concerted efforts at resolving the lingering crisis. ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, while responding to a call by our Correspondent said: “There is no plan to suspend the on-going strike, or whether there is an end in sight to the on-going strike, because there is nothing put on ground by the government to warrant its suspension.”

The roll-over strike, which has entered its fifth month, was first declared on February 14, for four weeks, but extended on March 13, for another eight weeks, and again extended for another 12 weeks after the expiration of the second extension. Osodeke, who spoke on telephone with New Telegraph, however, said there is no commitment on the part of the government to address the union’s demands for the strike to either be suspended or called off. Meanwhile, the Federal Government had last week announced that money had been released for payment of salary arrears and minimum wage to the striking university staff. Osodeke, however, said that no money had been paid to him or other university workers, noting that the government was only lying.

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