The Academic Staff Union of
Universities on Sunday advised parents
not to endanger the lives of their
children and wards by sending them to
their university campuses.
ASUU which also told its members not
to sign attendance registers in their
institutions, lashed out at the Federal
Government for lack of consistency in
its statements on the ongoing strike.
The Supervising Minister of Education,
Mr. Nyesom Wike, had at a news
conference in Abuja on Thursday,
warned that any ASUU member that
failed to resume on or before
Wednesday would be sacked.
Wike also directed vice-chancellors to
advertise vacancies (internal and
external) in their institutions.
He told the vice-chancellors to open
attendance registers for lecturers that
resumed in their universities.
The Federal Government then directed
the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji
Mohammed Abubakar, to deploy
policemen in all the federal universities.
On Friday, President Goodluck Jonathan,
who described the strike by the
university teachers as a "subversive
action," added that ASUU had ceased to
be a trade union.
But the Chairman, University of Ibadan
chapter of ASUU, Dr. Segun Ajiboye,
said parents should keep their children
and wards at home as no academic
activity would resume until the five-
month-old strike was called off.
Ajiboye added, "Don't risk the lives of
your children and wards. Keep them at
home because ASUU will not teach.
Soldiers and the police deployed by the
Federal Government will not teach.
Wike can come and teach in the
universities. It is a huge joke to sack
lecturers. Our strike must not be in
vain. Our students must see the results.
"It is funny. We thought we are in a
democracy. I assure Nigerians that we
know what the law says about the
strike. Our job is statue backed. We are
not threatened. "We do not trust the
government. The record of the
government is clear. This government is
dishonouring agreements. Our
members are resolved to pursue this to
a logical conclusion."
Ajiboye also said that the Federal
Government's stance was from a script
that was played out by the military
administration of Ibrahim Babangida in
the 1990s.
He stated, "Dear members, stay calm
and remain resolute. There is nothing
wrong in asking government to do what
it says it will do immediately. ASUU is
not making any new demands as the
supervising minister is propagating.
Government is only repeating a 'one act
play' scripted by the IBB dictatorship in
early 90s. It didn't work then, and, it
won't work now. All branches are intact.
We cannot be intimidated.
"If ASUU could withstand Babangida,
this government cannot threaten us.
We have worked this road before, the
only thing that will work is peaceful
resolution. It is sad that government
wants to sack us because we are asking
for the resolutions. We are ready to be
sacked but government should learn
from the University of Ilorin experience.
We are going to stay the course."
ASUU President, Dr. Nassir Fagge, urged
university teachers on Sunday not to
sign any attendance register.
Fagge, in a message to the UI chapter ,
urged the lecturers to be resolute in
their demands despite the threat of
insecurity to their jobs.
He said, "Comrades, can you see the
unfolding drama? Now Jonathan says
they didn't give ultimatum. That the
vice -chancellors did and Wike became
their trumpet. But NUC's (National
Universities Commission) ultimatum is
by the Federal Government to us to
resume or get sacked.
"Wike's press address says 'FG has
directed' not 'VCs have directed.' Be
calm, stay resolute. By God's grace, we
are on course."
The Chairman, University of Lagos
chapter of the union, Dr. Karol
Ogbinaka, said Jonathan's description of
the strike as a "subversive action," was
unfortunate.
"How can our action be subversive
when we do not have arms and
ammunition? We take exception to that.
We are academics not coup plotters. I
have a feeling he was misquoted. I wish
to deny this on his behalf because it is
an extreme statement," Ogbinaka said.
He also faulted the buck passing on the
directive to reopen universities, saying
it pointed to the fact that the
government was "somersaulting."
According to him, the Federal
Government is now shifting the blame
among the pro-chancellors, Committee
of Vice-Chancellors and Wike.
But the Presidency on Sunday insisted
that those behind the strike were
enemies of the state.
It said this could be the reason why the
ASUU leadership refused to call off the
strike even when 42 out of its 61
chapters voted against its continuation.
The Senior Special Assistant to
President Goodluck Jonathan on Public
Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, stated these at
a news conference in Abuja on Sunday.
He wondered why the leadership of the
union also refused to call off the strike
even after its 13-hour meeting with the
President.
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