ASUU embarks on street rally in Ibadan

The strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) assumed a dramatic dimension yesterday.

In what observers see as a move to get public sympathy, the lecturers went on a street-to-street rally in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The striking lecturers said rather than blame the on-going strike on them, the Federal Government should be condemned ‘’ by its responsiveness and irresponsibility to the yearnings and aspirations of Nigeria citizens’’.

Leading the rally, the Chairman, University of Ibadan chapter of ASUU, Dr. Abiodun Aremu, said the rally was to intimate the general public about the reason for the prolonged strike.

He noted that it was the Federal Government that walked out of the negotiation and not ASUU.

Aremu wondered why an employer would abandon negotiation with his or her employee.

The rally, which took off from Mellanby Hall car park of the University of Ibadan, through the main gate of the university to Bodija Market.

It went through Secretariat Road to Awolowo junction and Sango/Elewure junction before heading back to the campus.

The ASUU members were joined by their counterparts in the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff of Universities (NASU).

The procession was joined by traders, drivers, artisans and other passers-bye.

He urged the people to prevail on the Federal Government to accede to ASUU’s demands.

At each point of address, the message was the same: the need for the Federal Government to honor a gentleman’s agreement it entered into with the union which centered on proper funding of the university system, university autonomy and improved conditions of service.

Speaking with reporters yesterday, Aremu noted with regret that the Federal Government was toying with the future of the youth because the children of top government officials were enjoying the best of education abroad.

"The struggle", he said, ‘’is not about those of us in the system but about the future of the coming generations, both born and unborn, which is why it is laughable when you hear Federal Government talking about awarding certain percentage of salary increase as if our demand is centered on salary increase."

‘’This is why we felt the need to bring what is happening to the notice of the general public for the first time to let them know the truth about what those claiming to be their elected or selected representatives are doing to the future of their children, that they are comfortable with the situation because their own children are in Harvard and other eyebrow universities abroad,’’ Aremu said.

But, in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Dr. Sam Egwu, said the country may be heading for anarchy if ASUU continues to disregard the ruling of the of the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP) to call off the two and half months strike.

Speaking at a meeting with the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on how to resolve the strike, Egwu said ASUU has also turned down President Umaru Yar’Adua’s plea to call off the strike and resume negotiation.

His words: "The Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP) in its ruling asked ASUU to call off the strike, but for two and half months now the strike is still on. I want to say that this is a dangerous precedent. The moment individuals, organisations continue to disregard ruling of a constituted authority then this country is heading for anarchy. Two and half months they have refused to obey IAP. The Vice-President also invited us to plead to ASUU to call off the strike and that we should go back to the negotiation table. We agreed and went back to negotiate. One week after, ASUU still refused to call off the strike.

"Even Mr. President when he was travelling to Saudi Arabia also requested and pleaded with ASUU to call off the strike but ASUU turned down the request. If the number one citizen of this country could plead to any association and it refused, I think that is not fair.

"The First Lady, church leaders, the clergies, traditional rulers and chancellors of the universities also pleaded in vain. We believe that your intervention can touch their heart. It was ASUU that started the strike in the first place. I felt that they would have taken what was given to them.

"At the point this negotiation was going on ASUU declared a warning strike. At that point the Senate Committee and the House of Representatives Committee on Education invited ASUU and the Ministry of Education for a dialogue and in the meetings after presenting our cases the various committees requested that we should go back to the negotiation table to conclude the agreement. We came back and invited ASUU for a continuation of the negotiation as requested by the National Assembly. I want to state here that ASUU acknowledged our request for a meeting but want ahead and called a total strike.

"The implication of this is that ASUU had already made up its mind to go on strike because if it had not made up its mind it could have still attended the meeting. It didn’t do that."

The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) of ACF, Lt.-Gen. Jeremiah Useni (rtd), said the face-off between Government and ASUU is telling hard on the nation’s youth and urgent measures must be taken to resolve the situation.

Lt.-Gen. Useni said: "As a neutral body, we are going to hear from both sides and sit down to analyse the situation. We are determined to do our best and offer our services to see that this thing is resolved as quickly as possible. We believe also that when two giants are fighting, the grass will continue to suffer."

After a closed-door meeting which lasted for an hour, Lt.-Gen. Useni told reporters that ACF will meet with ASUU.