Senate yesterday mandated its President, Bukola Saraki to urgently intervene in the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, warning strike, with a view to putting a halt to it.
The senators also called on the executive to engage ASUU to proffer solutions on how best to implement all the agreements that both sides entered into since 2009 as well as the implementation of all key necessities that are vital for the well-being and development of universities as canvassed by the union.
The lawmakers also commended ASUU for chosen path of dialogue rather than confrontation as a means of resolving all the outstanding issues between it and the Federal Government.
The action of the lawmakers followed a Point of Order (42 and 52) raised by Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education, Senator Jibrin Barau (APC, Kano North) title: “The Need for the Federal Government to urgently re-engage ASUU to amicably resolve the issues in dispute.”
Barau explained that there are series of agreements not yet implemented by the Federal Government, which it entered into with ASUU, dating back to 2009 and over which the union has lately become agitated.
According to him, there are six vital issues whose continued pendency before the Federal Government and ASUU is creating discontents among members of the union.
He noted that they have been calling for the intervention of stakeholders to prevent the breakdown in the university system nationwide.
In his remarks, Saraki said it was important that the senate acted very fast to prevent the strike, noting that the Federal Government must implement all agreements reached by both parties.
“It is very important that we prevent the strike in the interest of the people that we represent and to ensure that these agreements, which is over eight years now, we must find a way of seeing the implementation.
“And according to the prayers, I will humbly look into the matter and quickly get the relevant parties to come to the table so that we can find a way of moving forward and report back to us,” he said.
Meanwhile, University of Ibadan chapter of ASUU has vowed to ensure total compliance with the directive of the national body.
Large members of the academic community at a congress held at the Faculty of Arts and presided over by the chapter’s Chairman, Dr. Deji Omole, resolved that ongoing examinations at the Faculty of Education stand suspended and shifted till after the strike.
The congress attended by some Deans, and the Vice Chancellor Prof., Idowu Olayinka, saw the members singing solidarity songs.
The congress expressed regrets that despite the benefit of doubt given to the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, the government seems irresponsive and irresponsible, noting that the strike was long overdue.
Omole said letters of the strike have been sent to the Vice Chancellor, Deans, Head of Departments and Director of Institutes to stop all academic meetings, lectures, examinations and all board meetings.
He stated that it was in the spirit of accommodating Nigerians and letting them judge between the union and the government that ASUU decided to proceed on the one-week warning strike.
The ASUU boss noted that the union had thought that the Federal Government will utilise the window of the well publicised impending strike some months ago but expressed sadness that government decided to ignore its warning.
The letter to the Vice-Chancellor reads in part: “We write to inform you that the strike will be total and comprehensive i.e no teaching, no examination and no attendance at statutory meetings of any kind.
“In line with the national directive of the union, our members will henceforth withdraw their services till the end of the warning strike.”
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