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Some universities did not join the nationwide strike called by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for various issues. However, the ASUU leadership says their non-compliance does not discredit the strike, report KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE, ADEKUNLE JIMOH (ILORIN), AIWERIE OKUNGBOWA (ASABA), and SOJI ADENIYI (OSOGBO). The campus of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife is unusually not busy. The hustle and bustle of academic activities have reduced. Classes are not going on. The reason is not because of the nationwide strike called by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on August 13. It is because the institution is wrapping up its first semester examination of the 2016/2017 academic session. Its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Biodun Olarewaju, said the examinations would be concluded this week and the students would begin a short holiday that would last no longer than a fortnight before they resume for the second semester. He confirmed plans by the uni...

Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige says negotiation between the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will resume after Eid-el-Kabir. In a statement issued by Mr Samuel Olowookere, Deputy Director (Press) in the ministry, Ngige said the meeting would hold shortly after the holidays as requested by the leadership of ASUU. He also dispelled speculations of uncertainty over talks between the Federal Government and the union. “Engagement of the striking ASUU members is still being handled by ministers of Labour and Employment and the ministers of Education. “Issues of strike by an employee are a labour matter. The Minister of Labour and Employment is, therefore, synergising with his the Ministry of Education to resolve the dispute. “This is normal procedure in government where ministers brief and report to the president or vice-president to streamline efforts and gains in a given assignment,’’ he said.(NAN)

The national strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has once again disrupted the academic calendar. While students and their parents groan about the impropriety of the strike, ASUU leaders defend their decision to shut the classrooms until the Federal Government honours the 2009 Agreement. After a three-year break from prolonged national strikes, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) started an indefinite strike on Monday, causing concern for students and their parents. The lecturers are not to return to the classrooms or laboratories of public universities until the Federal Government honours the 2009 agreement with the union. The unfulfilled agreement the union is fighting for include the non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), the failure to complete modalities to set up the Nigerian Universities Pension Commission, withdrawal of funding from staff schools, and the non-injection of the agreed N200 million funds yearly into the university...

The Senate on Wednesday appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU), to call off its nationwide industrial action in the interest of the country. The indefinite strike action embarked upon by ASUU members entered its 4th day on Thursday. The upper legislative chamber described the strike by the University teachers as a surprise to it having intervened earlier in the year when ASUU embarked on warning strike. It said that its intervention facilitated renegotiation of some outstanding issues between ASUU and the Federal government on the implementation of the 2009 agreement. Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, Senator Jubrin Barau who made the plea at media briefing in Abuja said ASUU needed to call off the strike for renegotiation proper to commence between it and the Federal Government. Barau noted that the industrial action should not have been the first option by the university teachers since the Senate and by extension, the Nationa...

Fed Govt says action illegal Strike grounds universities ASUU’s grouse •Non-licensing of the Nigerian Universities Pension Commission (NUPEMCO) to manage contributory pension which has hit over N1b •Non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances of N128 billion •Non-remission of N880b to upgrade infrastructure of universities since 2013 UNIVERSITY teachers are likely to return to work soon, going by some steps taken yesterday by the Federal Government. •Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige met with representatives of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU); and •The meeting agreed on the forensic audit of the N30 billion given to ASUU in 2010. There will be monthly remittances while the audit lasts. A statement by Samuel Olowookere of the ministry said the meeting would resume today to take a significant step towards a quick resolution of the “total, indefinite and comprehensive” strike and welfare of teachers and funding of university education as contained ...

The Academic Staff Union of Universities in Nigeria (ASUU) has expressed displeasure at the mandatory sale of handouts by some lecturers in tertiary institutions. Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, President of the union, expressed this view in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja. “It is not wise for lecturers in our tertiary institutions to compel students to be buying handouts, though it is not a widespread practice; we have few people that are misbehaving. “But the system has a way of handling them, so anywhere they see them they always put them on check. “It is not permitted in the system and there is a structure for tracking and dealing with that so ASUU as a union don’t condone it and we discourage it anywhere and everywhere we go,’’ he said. However, a cross section of Nigerian students had decried the rate at which some lecturers extort money from them in the name of selling of handouts. Speaking in separate interviews with NAN, students lamen...

‘It’ll be total, comprehensive, indefinite’ Situation on campuses University teachers are set for major strike, it was announced yesterday. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said the strike “will be total, comprehensive and indefinite” to press home lecturers’ demand for improved welfare and working conditions. ASUU National President Dr. Biodun Ogunyemi said the union took the decision after a nationwide consultation with its members at an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) on Sunday. According to him, there will be no teaching, no examination and no attendance of statutory meetings of any kind in any of the union’s branches during the strike. He said ASUU must make the Federal and state governments to implement the provisions of the 2009 Agreement, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of 2013 and the understanding reached in November 2016 in order to lay the foundation for a university system capable of producing a country of our dream. Dr. Ogunyemi...

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on the Federal Government to look into the plight of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to avert the indefinite strike. Mr Chinonso Obasi, National President, NANS made the call in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday. “It is with deep pain and regret that NANS received the news of another indefinite strike by ASUU over the Federal Government’s indifference to their plight. “Nigerian students sees the break down in negotiations as a further proof that political leaders don’t care about their future. “Consequently,, we wish to call on the Federal Government to do all it can to get ASUU back to the classrooms. “The demands of ASUU are reasonable and touch on the integrity of government, especially in the light of the fight against corruption,” he said. According to him, NANS finds it hard to believe that past governments would fail to honour agreements with members of ASUU for more...

University teachers are set for another strike over the controversial 2009 agreement they reached with the Federal Government among other issues. A meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of ASUU will hold today in Abuja ahead of the action. Yesterday, all chapters of the union nationwide held a congress as directed by its national body to decide whether or not to go ahead with the planned strike. The options given to them are: Whether it should be total and indefinite strike, one month strike, one week notice, and no strike at all. This followed the directive sent to branches by ASUU National President Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi as he was mandated by the NEC meeting held at the Nasarawa State University (NSU). Chairman ASUU-Lagos State University (LASU) Dr Isaac Akinloye Oyewunmi said yesterday that the chapter resolved in favour of “total and indefinite strike”. In August last year, the union threatened strike over the government’s failure to implement the 2009 agree...