There are strong indications that Nigerian university system may collapse any moment from now following the refusal of the Federal Government to respect the gentleman agreement it has with ASUU, which made it to call off its eight months old strike action.
It would be recalled that the lecturers called off their strike based on the assurance from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila that the aggrieved lecturers would be fully paid their salaries once they called off their strike action.
It was agreed that the backlog of salaries would be paid in two tranches. But to the amazement of the lecturers, the Federal Government paid all of them half salaries yesterday.
However, many senior members of the academic told PrimeStar News that they would seek for voluntary retirement from the Nigerian system.
Some of them said that if they had known how heartless the government of Muhammadu Buhari is, they would have sought for the voluntary retirement ealier.
Some professors who spoke with our correspondents noted that they would soon tender their letters of voluntary retirement.
It has also been gathered that some lecturers would intensify effort at relocating from Nigeria to the west in search of greener pasture.
However, most lecturers said that they are awaiting the official position of the national body of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), noting that they would stop teaching students until they receive their entitlements.
One of the lecturers said, “I am not teaching. I will stay in my house and whenever I feel like coming to office, I will come but I will not teach any students. I cannot teach on empty stomach. I cannot teach when I cannot feed my family. I cannot come to school when I do not have money to fuel my car.”
In a development, ASUU members of the Gombe State University have resolved that they would not submit the results of the first semester examination for the 2021/2023 session.
This is a position of the union in a meeting held on Wednesday November 2, 2023.
In a the statement signed by Dr Suliaman Salihu Jaro and the Secretary, Mohammed, the union said, “After exhaustive deliberation, the Congress therefore, resolved that given the university administration’s refusal to release the August and September salaries, members shall:
Not submit the result of the first semester examination for the 2021/2022 session, and Undergraduate and postgraduate projects allocated prior to the commencement of the strike actions.”
Also, ASUU members of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) have vowed not to work until they the Federal Government pays their eight months salaries.
