ASUU sympathises with students over prolonged strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says its prolonged strike is aimed to revamp the country’s educational system, and not to punish students. 

Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU president, spoke with NAN on Thursday while reacting to the N34 billion released by the federal government for payment of minimum wage consequential adjustment.

ASUU had on February 14 declared a one-month warning strike to protest the non-implementation of its demands by the federal government.

But on March 14, the union extended the industrial action by eight weeks, citing the government’s failure to fully address its demands.

The union thereafter extended the strike by another 12 weeks.

There have been concerns over the lingering strike with many prominent figures calling ASUU and the government to address the issue.

But according to Osodeke, students were suffering for Nigeria’s future and education system.

“ASUU sympathises with them, and we believe that with what is going on, if we continue with the struggle, we will have an education system where Nigerian students will have the same lecture rooms with their foreign counterparts,” he said.

The ASUU president said there was no need to call off the strike when the federal government had not attended to their demands.

He asked the federal government to do the needful as the N34 billion released was not part of their demands.