By Simon Begbulem
BENIN— Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Benin Zone, has threatened to embark on an industrial action over alleged delay and non-implementation of vital aspects of the 2009 agreement reached with the Federal Government.

The zone, made up of five universities, said the vital aspects of the agreement included the non-passage of the law on 70-year retirement age for academics in the professional cadre, earned allowances and funding.

The zone comprises University of Benin, UNIBEN; Ambrose Alli University, AAU; Ekpoma; Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka; Niger Delta University, NDU, Wilberforce Island, and Federal University of Petroleum Resources, FUPRE, Effurun.

In a statement by the zonal coordinator, Dr. Sunny Ighalo and repre-sentatives of four other uni-versities, ASUU lamented that the Federal Govern-ment had refused to honour agreement reached.

its Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the union.

Dr. Ighalo said: “It is a matter of deep regret that government has deliberately engaged in this unholy act of promoting instability and industrial crisis in our universities as exemplified in the delay tactics it has employed to frustrate the implementation of the agreement.

“The last time ASUU went on warning strike, the government asked to be given one month to resolve the issues. The union decided to give two months. Yet government has not been able to put its acts together to resolve the issues.

“By the MoU, the Federal Government undertook to resolve the issues in contention not later than November 22. Nothing concrete has been done by the Federal Government to demonstrate its commitment to the MoU.”