STRIKE: FG DARES LECTURERS, SAYS ASUU, GOVT PLEADS

The Federal Government has again appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities to exercise patience as the process of implementing its agreement with the union is ongoing.

The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, stated this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent.

This was as ASUU President accused the Federal Government of constantly daring the union.

CAMPUSINFO Reports had on Wednesday reported that no fewer than three zones of ASUU had asked Nigerians to hold the Federal Government responsible should the university lecturers embark on another strike.

The union accused the government of not implementing the agreement it signed with lecturers in December 2020.

However, ASUU for some weeks now had been urging the government to fulfill all the agreements contained in the Memorandum of Action, which it signed with the union.

But Nwajiuba assured the university teachers that all the agreements ranging from arrears to revitalisation fund would be addressed.

He said, “ASUU should have patience. All the agreements in the Memorandum of Action, from the payment of arrears, salaries to the issue of the revitalisation fund are already in progress.

“I have reached out to the NUC; they are on top of the matter and are working towards it to make sure that everything will be solved. Sooner or later, when they are through, a statement will be issued.

“ASUU should embrace patience and rest assured that the NUC is working fervently to make sure that the issues are resolved.”

But ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, in a separate interview with The PUNCH accused the Federal Government of daring the union’s members.

Osodeke said, “They are daring us. They want to see what we will do and we know their plans. They want us to look bad in the eyes of the public.

We wrote a memo to them two weeks ago, till now, the memo has not been replied. You don’t reply a union through the press. If you make an agreement with someone, courtesy demands that if you cannot meet the agreement, you notify the parties involved. Why didn’t they communicate?”

But the minister, in another interview advised the union to reach out to the ministry.

He said, “Let them reach out to the ministry so they can be kept abreast on what is going on. They keep on saying they reached out, who did they reach out to?”