ASUU strike: Our government is deaf and dumb – Union ...Read more

The Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, ASUU, has expressed great disappointment over the attitude of the Federal Government towards the ongoing strike action embarked upon by the Union.

It said if the government had not failed in the implementation of the agreement reached and signed with the union, there would not have been any strike in the first place.

ASUU Chairman, University of Ibadan Chapter, (UI) in a chat with newsmen in Ibadan said, “It is unfortunate the situation we have found ourselves in this country. When we started this strike action, we felt we were dealing with a responsible and responsive government. We felt it was a government that would want to do that which is the yearning of the people. We felt this government will see the need to quickly address issues that have led us to the strike. It is a pity that we have been talking to deaf and dumb government. This is the fourth month, and this government is not yielding to the wishes of Nigerians which is to fund public universities appropriately.”

He continued, “It is not a nice story that Nigeria’s universities have been shut for four months and the government is not putting in serious efforts to making sure that the problems are addressed. It is really sad.”

A visibly disappointed Ajiboye observed that the nation’s universities cannot continue to run the way they are currently being run.

He disclosed that ASUU has refused to call off the ongoing strike so that public universities could be protected, and for the children of the poor to have access to university education.

While lamenting how the government has deliberately killed both primary and secondary schools in the country, the ASUU leader appealed that efforts should be put in place to sustain public tertiary institutions, stressing that, ” private universities are unaffordable for the poor.

The lowest school fee in a private university is N700, 000. Where can parents who are on minimum wage of N18, 000 get such amount of money to send their children to such universities?”

Ajiboye also flayed the FG over its attempt to rubbish the personality of Deacon Gamaliel Onosode and other eminent Nigerian personalities who negotiated with the union to produce the 2009 agreement.