Adamu missing as ASUU declares indefinite strike
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Education Minister Adamu Adamu was not in town on Monday, reportedly on a junket in a foreign land, and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) filled the void by elongating indefinitely the strike it began on 14 February.
Muhammadu Buhari was in Abuja where ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) reached the decision on the 196th day of the strike. But the President also could not be bothered, even as tertiary education is now fully paralysed on his watch.
The meeting began late Sunday at ASUU headquarters at the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) and ended early Monday morning with the resolution that the strike be indefinite until Buhari puts money on the table to properly fund higher education.
Buhari of killing public varsities to promote private ones, says ASUU
ASUU has accused the Buhari administration of deliberately stifling and killing public universities to promote private ones owned by the political class.
The government engages in “lies … deceit, and delay tactics”, it alleged, and has been “calculatingly dribbling” the union rather than find solution to end the strike for students to go back to school.
Chukwiemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) ASUU branch Chairman Okey Aniebo and Secretary David Enibe made the points in a statement they issued after an ASUU meeting in Igbariam, Anambra State.
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Lies, blackmail, deceit, delay tactics
“It is unfortunate that the Federal Government has been adopting lies, blackmail deceit and delay tactics to continue to renege on the 2009 ASUU FGN Agreement, the Federal Government [has been] calculatingly dribbling ASUU since 2017 in finding solution to ASUU and FGN face off,” the statement said, per Vanguard.
“They have been deliberately stifling and killing the public universities in order to promote private universities, mostly owned by the political class, just as it is only being interested in campaign for the 2023 general election than the welfare and future of the Nigeria youths.
Govt ignores its own committee reports
“Even the Prof. Ali Munzuali and Prof. Nimi Briggs Committee, set up by the Federal Government to renegotiate the 2009 FGN ASUU Agreement, was not taken serious by the Federal Government and was frustrated by the same government that set it up.
“Initially ASUU had believed that the government took the step in good faith so as to resolve the contentious issues towards having an end to the strike, but unfortunately the government abandoned the separate reports of the committee, thereby confirming the fear of ASUU that it is not interested in seeing an end to the strike.
“We, therefore, regret to inform the general public that the Federal Government of Nigeria is not serious about ending the ongoing strike but has adopted lies, blackmail, deceit and delay tactics to continue reneging on 2009 ASUU FGN Agreement.”
