NATIONAL: Why ASUU may resume strike — Don

ANOTHER strike is looming as a section of university lecturers have vowed to push for resumption of the suspended strike at their respective zonal levels.

The lecturers pointed at government’s ‘failure’ to honour agreements reached by both parties at a meeting on December 22, last year.

ASUU suspended its nine-month-old strike on December 23 after some agreements were reached by both parties including: payment of outstanding lecturers’ salaries on or before December 31, releasing of N40bn Earned Allowance before January 15, among others.

“Well, the point is that, not that the federal government stopped paying our salaries but they have not paid it in accordance with the agreement”, said a member of ASUU from the University of Ibadan.

He held that the agreements said the Federal government would pay by December 31 or before, but “till now (Jan 5) they have not paid.”

“Even, the Earned Allowances they agreed to pay by December through January, they have not paid anything.

“They didn’t pay a dime even before we suspended the strike by December 23rd, that is the government we are dealing with,” he added.

“After all these, people will be blaming ASUU.

“People can now understand why ASUU insisted on getting what they wanted before they called-off the strike.

“They have not paid anything. The agreements are in black and white.”
When asked on when the suspended strike would resume, he said they (ASUU members) had not been officially communicated.

“That was why ASUU gave a conditional suspension of the strike.

“You will remember ASUU said emphatically that the suspension was conditional.

“Ask me, the lecturers’ salaries were part of the 2020 budget.

“Where is the money now? The money they did not pay lecturers, where is it?

“That is the question the media should interrogate.

“They are not supposed to go and be looking for the money somewhere.

“We are dealing with an unreliable and insincere government,” the University don said