Reps intervenes in ASUU strike, insists government must honor MoU – Nexus News
The House of Representatives has intervened in the current industrial action embarked upon by the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Supporting a motion sponsored by Mr. Dozie Nwankwo at plenary, yesterday, led by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, the House implored the Ministry of Labour and Employment and ASUU to stick to the provisions of the previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Action (MoA).
The House requested that the lecturers call off the warning strike in the interest of Nigerian students and the education sector.
The lawmakers, thereby, authorized the Committees on Labor, Employment and Productivity as well as Tertiary Education and Services to meet with the concerned ministries, Civil Society Organizations, Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) and ASUU to resolve the outstanding demands responsible for the strike.
Nwankwo emphay that the results of the strike were embarrassingly becoming too frequent and with consequences too damaging to the education sector, as “one month strike is too much disruption to an academic calendar” and too much time for an idle mind to cause trouble.
HOWEVER, the Federal Government has been criticized for allowing the industrial action by ASUU. Emmanuel Okechukwu (Jr), Chairman, Awka branch of the Nigerian Bar Association made this known in Awka yesterday, while reacting to the ASUU ongoing strike.
ASUU has commenced a one month warning strike from Monday, February 14 2022, as a result of government’s failure to implement the MoU and MoA it signed with the government as well as government’s poor commitment to the payment of Academic Earned Allowance (EAA).
According to the activist, breaking the agreement, which it reached with the union in 2009, is an implication of disregard for education in Nigeria.
BUT, the Federal Government has promised that the warning strike will not extend into full-scale industrial action.
At the continued conciliation meeting with the union, yesterday, in Abuja, Dr. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labor and Employment, stated that government was surprised ASUU opposed the understanding and assurances it gave through NIREC led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Supo Ayokunle.
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ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, also criticized the Federal Government for the strike, claiming that apart from not implementing the 2020 MOA, the government also failed to convene the regular implementation monitoring meeting as agreed.
ASUU emphasized that suspending the industrial action depended entirely on the Federal Government, as members were determined not to shift ground until their demands were met.
CHAIRMAN of ASUU in Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), Dr. Samuel Alu, has disclosed that his members complied fully to the nationwide strike by the national body.
Alu said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Keffi, yesterday. He also said that since the institution’s chapter joined the strike on February 16, compliance had been total, as all members had stopped academic work.
“I want to let you know that without mincing words, compliance in NSUK is total and comprehensive. Academic activities have been grounded, in line with the instructions of our national body,” he said.
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