Finally, ASUU declares nationwide strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has officially declared a nationwide strike.

Emmanuel Victor Osodeke, the national president of ASUU, broke the news during a press conference on Monday following a two-day deliberation of the union’s national executive council (NEC).

Osodeke added that the nationwide strike is for four weeks and should be “comprehensive and total”.

“The NEC of our union has resolved to embark on a four-week total and comprehensive strike beginning from February 14,” he said.

“That’s the resolution of latest NEC meeting held on February 12 and 13. The patience of our members have been dragged beyond tolerable limit.

“The greatest asset of any nation is human capital. We therefore seek the understanding and support of all stakeholders to make the Nigerian government more responsible to issues of human capital development.”

Members of the NEC, encompassing ASUU leaders across campuses, had been holding meetings since Saturday, the latest of which was at the University Of Lagos (UNILAG).

ASUU had decided to embark on the two-day meeting after it sensitised and mobilised lecturers and students across all varsities on the reason the union might go on a strike.

The union, which embarked on a nine-month strike that halted university education in 2020, had lamented the failure of the federal government to fulfill some of the agreements they had reached to suspend the industrial action.

It added that the mobilisation for strike followed the federal government’s attitude towards the renegotiation of their salaries and allowances as well as the adoption of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) payroll software.

But President Muhammadu Buhari had recently assured that his administration would honour its agreements with the union to prevent incessant strikes in the education sector.

“My administration is committed to this engagement and dialogue, and I urge them to stay the course towards a joint resolution in the best interest of our children and nation,” he had said.