The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the
Federal Government of sponsoring media campaign to force it to end the
ongoing industrial action.
According to the union, its indefinite strike which started on July 2,
still stands, irrespective of the move by government to discredit its
leadership.
Chairman of ASUU, University of Abuja chapter, Clement Chup, had on
Sunday in an interview with Daily Independent, also denied a purported
meeting at the State House, Abuja, with Vice President Namadi Sambo,
where it was claimed that government further shifted grounds on the
demands of the Union.
An online news medium had reported that there was an appreciable
progress in the ongoing negotiations between ASUU and the Vice
President, particularly on the controversial earned allowances for the
striking lecturers.
In the report, government was alleged to have further shifted ground
on the demands made by the Union, by agreeing to add N10 billion to
the N30 billion initially provided for the settlement of earned
allowances, making it N40 billion.
It was also reported that government had shored up the N100 billion
meant for infrastructure to N150 billion with a pledge to periodically
inject more funds into the system in line with the Needs
Implementation Committee chaired by Benue State Governor, Gabriel
Suswan.
Chup in his reaction, said "I read the mischievous report online
myself, but I am telling you authoritatively that there was no such
meeting.
"Government is only trying to use propaganda and cheap blackmail to
make us call off this strike, but it will not work.
"Our strike is still very much on course, in fact, ASUU will soon
release a position paper on these developments, we are used to this
kind of blackmail from government," Chup said.
On his part, Chairman of the Ambrose Alli University chapter of ASUU,
Fred Esumeh, attributed the strike to failed leadership on the part of
government, saying over 53 letters urging government to implement the
2009 agreement were transmitted prior to the strike.
"As I keep saying, this strike is a product of failed leadership on
the part of government; this is because we had series of dialogue to
reach an agreement.
"An agreement reached since 2009 that has not been implemented up till
now, obviously it is a product of failed leadership, before this time
that we commenced strike, there have been over 53 letters, not to talk
of several meetings with the House and Senate committees on education
to intervene.
"I do not think ASUU is loosing public sympathy, because what we see
in our electronic media and perhaps few print media is sponsored
protest.
"Like the one organised by the market women, that one is laughable,
you could see that it is government sponsored.
"Then of course, the guy that parades himself as NANS President, Yinka
Gbadebo, a diploma student in OAU, who was rusticated from Ekiti State
University.
"A diploma student cannot even contest to be an SUG president and to
be a NANS president, you must be from SUG presidents all over the
federation, so we know these people are sponsored by government,"
Esumeh said.
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