FG Gives ASUU One-week Ultimatum to End Strike

The Federal Government has directed all federal university vice-chancellors   to reopen their institutions  for academic and allied activities.

The government also declared that lecturers who fail to resume on or before December 4, would lose their jobs.

The Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, stated this at a news conference  in Abuja on Thursday.

The development which elicited mixed reactions, has consequently put the President Goodluck Jonathan-ASUU leaders truce meeting in  jeopardy.

 The meeting had raised the hopes of students and parents on the  resolution of the crisis but an accident on November 12,  in which a former President of ASUU, Prof Festus  Iyayi, lost his life, cast  gloom on the calling off of the strike.


READ MORE AFTER THE CUT................................

Iyayi and some   members of the University of Benin chapter of the union were on their way  to the  Bayero University,  Kano for  a meeting where the outcome of the meeting with Jonathan was to be tabled before the NEC members’ for consideration.

Due to Iyayi’s death, ASUU  called off  the meeting  but  reconvened penultimate Thursday in Kano   where it harmonised its members’ position on the   offer by government.

The  union, as part of its conditions for calling off the strike,  demanded  the payment of its members’ salary arrears and a commitment on   the part of the government to  review  the agreement in 2014.

They also requested the release of the N200bn promised for this year as a condition for suspending  the strike.

ASUU had in a  letter issued after  its NEC  meeting on November 22,  demanded the following:

- that the N200bn agreed upon as 2013 revitalisation fund for public universities should  be deposited with the CBN  and disbursed to the benefiting universities within two weeks;

-  that the renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement in 2014 be included in the final document as agreed at the discussion with the President;

- that a non-victimisation clause, which is normally captured in all interactions of this nature, be included in the final document; and

- that a new memorandum of understanding shall be validly endorsed; signed by a representative of government, preferably the Attorney-General of the Federation, and a representative of ASUU, with the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress as a witness.

But as students, parents and other stakeholders  awaited the government’s decision on the demands, Wike warned ASUU members  to  resume  on December  4 or be sacked.

To clearly indicate government’s  seriousness, the supervising Minister of Education  advised the vice-chancellors to advertise the positions of those who failed  to resume.

He said, “Vice-chancellors should ensure that staff who resume for work are provided with the enabling environment for academic and allied activities.

“Any academic employee who fails to resume on or before   December 4, 2013 automatically ceases to be an employee of the institution.

“Vice-chancellors are also directed to advertise vacancies (internal and external) in their institutions.

“The National Universities Commission is hereby directed to monitor the compliance of these directives by the various institutions.”

Wike said the government took the decision in the best interest of the country.