The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has concluded plans to embark on a one-week nationwide strike starting from Wednesday, 16th November, 2016.
This was disclosed in a press briefing, yesterday, in Abuja by the president of ASUU, Biodun Ogunyemi, who added that the nationwide strike would be total and comprehensive.
He said while it lasts, there shall be no teaching, no examination and no attendance at statutory meetings of any kind in any of the union’s branches.
The union has been holding series of press briefings from its national to state chapters, calling on Nigerians, particularly students, religious leaders, traditional leaders, market women and politicians to prevail on government to do the needful, in order to avert any action that would disrupt academic activities across all public universities in the country.
The current issues in contention include funding of universities for revitalisation in line with the MOU entered into with the union in 2013, renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement which ASUU believes will reposition the entire education sector and facilitation of the registration of the Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company (NUPEMCO), among others.
Many of the workers abandoned their vehicles on the road and trekked while others made do with commercial motorcycles to get to work.
Security operatives comprising armed Police men, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Traffic Wardens were present to ensure the protest did not turn violent.
Com. Alfred Jimoh, national vice-president Western zone, who addressed the gathering, called for an “immediate and unconditional recall” of their sacked colleagues.
Meanwhile, the crisis currently rocking the Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), Abeokuta, yesterday, took a new dimension as hundreds of Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) from universities in Western Zone shuts down the institution during protest over the sack of 23 of their colleagues by the institution’s management.
The protesting SSANU members used bonfire, vehicles and human shield to obstruct traffic and register their anger over what they called injustice and victimisation of members by FUNAAB management.
