The two weeks warning strike action embarked upon by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has grounded academic activities in University of Ibadan, (UI) and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH).
The strike action has disrupted the second semester examination of Masters students of the University of Ibadan scheduled for Monday March 16 to March 31, 2020, which was to bring the current academic session to a close.
Also, ASUU Chairman of LAUTECH, Dr Biodun Olaniran in a statement revealed that lecturers of the Institution have stopped lectures and supervision and have withdrawn their participation at statutory meetings.
Olaniran berated the nation’s Labour Minister, Chris Ngige for declaring the on-going ASUU strike action as illegal, saying that Ngige was already becoming a broken record and lacking fresh response to genuine demands of the Union.
He pointed out that ASUU had earlier warned that it would commence no pay, no work action anytime government stops its members’ salaries.
Noting that the warning strike is about the failure of Federal Government to fully implement the agreement it reached with the Union, Olaniran said for the government to reduce the warning strike to IPPIS amounted to corruption.
The ASUU boss, who faulted the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila who claimed ASUU should take note of the dwindling resources of the nation and return to work, said unimplemented Memorandum of Action signed with the Buhari administration is a major reason behind the strike.
According to him, “Today, this National Assembly will move motion to take care of terrorists and use money generated by conforming Nigerians to train terrorists abroad. But they find it difficult to take care of our institutions. Why is it difficult to fund education? Why must they do everything abroad? It is corruption and because of what they will gain from transacting dollar. We signed MOA with this government and they refuse to fully implement it. Our schools are not what they should be. Lecturers are using their blood to run the system but all those in power have their kids trained abroad. This is the wickedness of the principalities ruling Nigeria. IPPIS cannot overshadow our genuine struggle but if FG fails to pay our salary having worked we have activated the no pay, no work”.
