In a press statement made by the president of the Academic Staff Union of University, Emmanuel Asodeke, the group announced its decision to extend the ongoing strike action by another 12 weeks.
The decision was made after an emergency meeting was held by the National Executive Council in the secretariat at the University of Abuja.
Citing the failure of the federal government to live up to its responsibilities and tackle the issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU MOU as reasons for the extension, Asodeke added that the time frame given was to allow the government adequate time to solve the issues to their satisfaction. He said that he was disappointed in the committee set up by the government’s reticence to call a single meeting since inception and expressed anger at the failure of the single meeting held so far and its inability to convey an adequate level of understanding and preparation.
Members of the union have stated that unless the committee pays adequate attention to the issues raised in the draft agreement the strike would not be ending any time soon and suspicions have been expressed as the government’s alleged plans to break their spirits and resolve the fight for their rights with hunger. They said that the government’s refusal to take the education sector seriously was the cause of recent security issues plaguing the country and unless fixes were implemented, the country was headed towards ruin.
