Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), have threatened to strike due to the Federal Government’s failure to address their grievances.
This threat was issued on Thursday, June 27, following a peaceful protest around the university campus, highlighting the government’s failure to implement an agreement with the union.
ASUU-UNN members carried placards with messages such as “Government, stop forcing ASUU to embark on strike,” “Government, honor agreements with ASUU,” “Government, don’t kill university education in Nigeria,” and “Nigerian lecturers are the least paid in the globe.”
They urged the government to renegotiate the 2009 agreement with the union.
The union members expressed their support for a nationwide indefinite strike if the government fails to meet their demands within 21 days.
Comrade Oyibo Eze, Chairman of ASUU-UNN, addressed the university management, criticizing the Nigerian government as hypocritical and selfish.
Eze accused the Presidency and National Assembly members of misappropriating public funds while the masses suffer in poverty.
He stated, “The Union has exhausted all diplomatic and political means to resolve this issue. The only language the Nigerian government understands is strike.
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“Since 2009, every effort to renegotiate the agreement with the Federal Government has failed.
“President Bola Tinubu promised during his campaign to end the ASUU strike by fulfilling all union demands, but since taking office, he has made no efforts to honor his words.
“We have articulated our grievances and sent them to him three times, but have received no response from the government.
“Despite our use of political and diplomatic channels, the Federal Government has not addressed our grievances since Tinubu assumed office one year ago.
“We are dealing with a hypocritical government, which misappropriates millions but cannot give N100,000 to civil servants.”
Addressing the union, Professor Johnson Urama, Deputy Vice Chancellor of UNN, praised the members for their peaceful protest and expressed hope that the government would act quickly to prevent the looming ASUU strike, which would disrupt academic activities in tertiary institutions.