By JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

Calabar – Academic activities in universities in the country may be halted as the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Calabar Zone, has directed its principal officers in the zone to call an emergency National Executive Council, NEC, meeting to take a decision on what the union described as unwillingness of government to sign the amended bill on the retirement age of academics.

Dr. Charles Ononoju, Co-ordinator of the union’s Calabar zone, said the Federal Government has not shown any sign of seriousness in the signing of the amended bill.

ASUU bemoaned Federal Government’s lack of determination and sincerity of purpose in the funding of the universities to stem brain drain and make the universities global competitive centres of excellence and learning. This, the union said, was unacceptable.

ASUU said: “We wish to draw government’s attention to the consequences of the failure to sign the amended bill and blame Chief Executives of universities in our Zone for their failure to commence the complete implementation of all the composite parts of the agreement as contained in the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, especially the Earned Academic Allowances, for which they had been mandated by government to do.

“To renege on this is to avoidably throw the universities into another round of crisis.

“We may have no choice  than to return to the trenches.”