Students give LAUTECH lecturers 72 hours to pull out of ASUU strike

Students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) have given the institution’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) 72 hours to withdraw from the ongoing strike.

According to NAN, LAUTECH’s student union communicated the ultimatum in a statement jointly signed by Anuoluwa Adeboye, its president, and Gabriel Michael, the PRO.

The union urged the lecturers to toe the path of lecturers at the Kwara State University (KWASU) who opted out.

ASUU’s national body had commenced a one-month strike on February 14 due to its protracted disagreement with the government and subsequently extended this by two months after the government failed to meet its demands.

The LAUTECH students body said it would see ASUU in the institution as saboteurs and resort to a confrontation if it fails to withdraw from the strike embarked on by its national boy.

It said it had, on March 14 when the initial one-month warning strike ended, reached out to the leadership of ASUU in the institution to ensure sanity and bridge the communication gap.

The student union said the ASUU branch refused to grant their request for dialogue and gave “flimsy” excuses.

“We are giving the leadership of ASUU LAUTECH 72 hours to borrow a leaf from ASUU KWASU that wrote a special letter to the National ASUU based on peculiarity in their institution,” it said.

“LAUTECH ASUU should opt out of this ongoing strike or else the students’ union will be left with no choice but to see ASUU LAUTECH as saboteurs to the progress of LAUTECH.

“They are doing these for their selfish interests and total confrontation will commence after the 72 hours ultimatum.

“ASUU LAUTECH, up to date, has refused to grant this sane request but gave excuses of no convenient time due to tensile loads on them.

“Yet they have the time to mobilise other ASUU Chapters to LAUTECH for reasons which only favours their interest.

“Is it not now crystal clear that ASUU LAUTECH is only fighting for their sole interest at the expense of students? it asked.”

The body stated that they are aware of the crippling effects of the incessant strikes on their institution in the time past as well as the sores still in place to date.

It said, regardless of the impasse between the government and ASUU’s national body, the involvement of the ASUU branch in LAUTECH in the ongoing strike is questionable.

“The involvement of ASUU LAUTECH is not only dangerous for the students but also horrendous for the University system,” the student union added.

“As a student body, we are poised towards the rectification of our prestigious institution and a better educational system.”

The student union said that it is “extremely exigent” for ASUU LAUTECH to openly address the students on why they joined the national strike at the expense of the smooth running of the academic calendar.

According to the union, LAUTCEH’s last semester results are currently withheld and the final-year students are delayed by precarious strikes in the past.

“Also delayed is their mobilisation for the NYSC by the four-week warning strike which was extended by eight weeks,” it said.

“Another disaster looms around the comer if the prevalent maladies are not immediately curbed.”