Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, who have been on strike for six months, defied the ultimatum given to them by the Federal Government to resume academic activities yesterday or be sacked.

FOR the average Nigerian, it is always easy for the opposition political class to mislead him, saying that government has done nothing to improve his living condition. It is the same story for the average Nigerian non- governmental organisation, NGO. They thrive on criticising government, no matter how noble government’s actions are.

However, and this is the crux of the matter, those responsible for running the universities on daily basis have, through financial rascality, misused available financial resources. Wastages and corruption in the system are legion. They include explosive increase in the purchase of official cars, frequent unnecessary trips by top management of universities many of whom are senior academics, huge allowances and gifts for members of university councils, lavish convocation ceremonies, overpriced contracts awarded to relatives, friends and cronies of VIPs in various campuses most of which are poorly executed, and so on.

University lecturers, under the auspices of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday, denied any knowledge of the N200 billion said to have been deposited at the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, by Federal Government, as a way of resolving the six months old strike which had paralysed academic activities in the nation’s universities.

Convoys as agents of death, torture and oppression

MINORITY Whip in the House of Representatives, Mr. Samson Osagie, has described the recent threat by the supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, giving four days ultimatum to members of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to call off their strike or be sacked, as uncalled for.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the Federal Government for issuing a sack threat against striking university teachers, saying the resort to such military-era tactics reflects the FG’s poverty of ideas in resolving the prolonged ASUU strike.

President Goodluck Jonathan literally disowned the seven-day ultimatum to striking university lecturers to return to work, yesterday, saying the Committee of Vice Chancellors (CVC) issued the deadline.
According to him, the supervising minister of education, Mr. Nyeson Wike, only made the ultimatum public.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has been given one week ultimatum to call off the ongoing strike.

ACADEMIC Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, University of Benin chapter, has called for the trial of the Kogi State governor, Alhaji Idris Wada and others connected to the accident that claimed one of their colleagues, Prof. Festus Iyayi.

Most lecturers who detest frequent indefinite strikes are pusillanimous about speaking out openly; they prefer to hide their real opinions rather than endure intemperate verbal attacks from vociferous pro-strike colleagues. In most universities nowadays during congress meetings to decide on strike, lecturers who refuse to jump uncritically into the ASUU bandwagon are derided as pro-government saboteurs.

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, National Executive Committee weekend met in Kano. The secret meeting Vanguard gathered lasted from Friday night to the Saturday morning.

The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, has said that late Prof. Festus Iyayi will be missed for his contributions to the academic community, workers movement and Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement

LEADERS of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday, suspended indefinitely the union’s National Executive Council, NEC, meeting planned to hold in Kano over the tragic auto-crash that claimed the life of ASUU former President, Professor Festus Iyayi, on Tuesday morning.

THE latest round of strikes by the Academic Union of Universities (ASUU), has once again reached a dead end. After protracted negotiations, which ended with the Federal Government offering a concession that totalled N130 billion, which the union rejected insisting on full implementation of the 2009 agreement it signed, no further positive progress has been recorded towards ending the stand-off.