South-East ASUU Insists On Agreement Implementation

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the South East Zone said it would continue with its ongoing strike until Government implemented its demands.

The union said in Awka when it addressed newsmen, that  only the implementation of the agreement reached between the Federal Government and the union would make the lecturers resume work.

Zonal Coordinator of the union, Dr Chidi Osuagwu said it was embarrassed to hear from some quarter that the ongoing strike would be called off on August1.

“This is very unacceptable to the union and its members. We will not call off the strike until the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement is fully implemented’’, he said.

He appealed to students, parents and guardians to bear with the union, pointing out that it was pursuing a worthy course to improve the university system in the country.

He recalled that ASUU embarked on the strike due to federal government’s failure to implement the agreement it willingly entered into with the union in October 2009.

According to him, between 2009 and 2011, ASUU made serious efforts to get the government to implement the agreement by even embarking on warning strikes, to no avail.

He said the agreement included funding for revitalisation of universities, federal assistance to state universities and payment of academic allowances.

Osuagwu blamed the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie “for not protecting the institutions.’’