Nigerians have been informed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja chapter, that the current strike would carry on as long as the Federal Government has not called the union for a meeting.
This information was made known by Dr. Kassim Umaru, the branch chairman of ASUU UNIABUJA Chapter during the union’s Congress on Tuesday at the University’s Mini Campus in Gwagwalada.
Speaking to newsmen during a briefing, Umaru challenged the Federal Government to list any actions taken to end the ongoing strike.
He stated that the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) would meet at the conclusion of the four-week deadline to make its decision. He also claimed that Congress had discussed the strike’s related issues and had vehemently declared and rejected the Federal Government’s offer.
Umaru said, “As far as we’re concerned, the federal government hasn’t done anything to our various demands.
“The federal government should tell the Nigerian public what they’ve done. The two committees that were set up, the Nimi Briggs committee, the Jubrin committee, were set up and these committees had their recommendations.”
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He added, “Our salaries are always negotiated. It’s not something you feel you can pay us. It’s something that you have to sit down to talk and agree that you can pay us.
“As far as we are concerned, our job is different from any other civil servants; it’s the job you are going back to do. You’re not paying for an hour. You’re paying for the job we have done, so it’s their responsibility to pay us and if they said they’re not paying us, it is a joke taken too far.
“As it’s, they have not called our union and Nigerians should know that we’ve not been called, no invitation to our union and all that we know is that the strike continues.”
Recall that on February 14, ASUU ordered the closure of public institutions due to the Federal Government’s failure to carry out prior agreements that both sides had signed.
Funding for the rehabilitation of public institutions, earned academic allowances, the University Transparency Accountability Solution, promotion arears, and other issues are among the grievances raised by the academics.
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