The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said its members are ready to resume.
Osodeke said the union is waiting for a positive response from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, noting that it’s members are ready to resume immediately if federal government responds to their demands.
ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke made the submission on Monday night during a TV interview, saying the government is responsible for the prolonged strike action.
Prof. Osodeke during the interview with Channels TV was asked specifically when he thinks the public universities will resume as students and parents are tired of the sit at home.
In his response, the ASUU chairman pointed out that the federal government is responsible for the strike action, adding that as soon as the government meets their demands, the striking lecturers are ready to resume immediately.
In his words, “As far as ASUU is concerned, the strike can end tomorrow. Like I said, we have finished re-negotiation. Let the government call us this night that we should come tomorrow to sign that agreement, we’ll be there.
He added that “Let the government tell us we have finished testing the UTAS, we have accepted it; by tomorrow we will call off the strike. So it’s not in our hands. We have finished we are just waiting.
“So we challenge the government; when will they sign the agreement, number two when will they accept UTAS? Those are the two questions we should ask the Nigerian government. When would they sign the agreement?”
DAILY GIST reported that ASUU had commenced nationwide strike on February 14th 2022, citing different demands which the FG had failed to meet as its reasons.
Some of the demands include, payments of salary arrears, better working conditions, renegotiation of the 2009 FG-ASUU agreement, payment of earned academic allowances, funds for the revitalization of public universities, promotion arrears, and poor funding of state universities.
Other tertiary institution unions also on strike include the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
SSANU and NASU had announced the extension of their strike by two months on Wednesday, saying that the strike would only end when the Federal Government meets members’ demands.
