BABATUNDE ALAO
Following the suspension of the eight-week strike embarked upon by university lecturers, academic activities  returned to most campuses, but this is not the case for Adekunle Ajasin University (AAUA),  Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, as resumption of studies has been postponed until the 27th of February, 2012.

Reports gathered by Quad Life revealed that the date for resumption of studies in the institution, formerly slated for February 6 has been shifted to the February 27, 2012, owing to the annual leave to be embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), OAU chapter.

It was also gathered that, during the course of the national ASUU strike, the university management had issued a memo notifying the lecturers of their leave during the strike and this might have prompted the congress held by ASUU on February 9.

Speaking to journalists after the congress, the chairman of ASUU-OAU, Dr. Busuyi Mekusi, in what he described as a peculiar circumstance said: “There is an agreement with the administration that all academic staff will be observing their annual leave at the end of the session but as you could see that the session was not going to end before the national ASUU strike, so we have to go on leave after the strike we have to proceed on our annual leave.

During the strike, the university administration issued a memo directing all academic staff to go on their leave while we were on strike and that yielded a problem we have to iron out.”

Asked whether ASUU was consented before the memo was issued, Mekusi rebuts saying: “It was a dictatorial way of doing things. On the resolution of the congress, the ASUU chair said, “We will have fifteen days of the thirty days of the leave now and the remaining fifteen days immediately after the first semester”.

Reacting, Alao Olubunmi, a 200L Mass Communication said: “I have been bored staying at home and I felt relieved when the ASUU strike was suspended. That is why I came to school, but I am disappointed with the situation of things. I pray the new resumption date does not change”.

A student who has just graduated from Physics and Electronics in the Faculty of science bemoans the situation of things saying: “It is woeful that this is reoccurring.

In my faculty, it is only about twenty percent of us that are about to complete our project and everything boils down to the interference in academic activities for the past one and half years. Consequently, our first batch will be the third batch for the National Youth Service.”

However, there are rumours of strike spreading across the campus immediately the lecturers resume. On this Dr. Mekusi advised, “It is too early to speak on that. Let us keep our hands crossed as situation unfolds”.