Latest On ASUU Strike Today [11/5/2022]

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has declared Asuu strike as illegal, adding that labour workers who are agitating for an increment in salaries are at work. Why will university workers be different from other workers?

He disclosed this in Abuja while speaking on the National Productivity Day, which will be hosted by President Buhari at the Presidential Villa on Thursday. “When issues are being resolved and employees refuse to go back to work, it is a breach of the labour law," he added.

The labour minister maintained that “the ministry has successfully resolved 1,683 cases since he assumed office, and University workers are not the only workers in Nigeria. The issue of revision of salaries and emoluments is not strictly a concern of the workers alone. There are other strata of workers that are agitating for salary increment as well.”

“The workers that are agitating for an increment in salaries are at work. Why will university workers be different from other workers?" he concluded.

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In another report, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, yesterday vowed to join the ongoing strike by ASUU, if the FG failed to address issues raised by the union and put an end to their action.

President of TUC, Quadri Olaleye, who made the vow on behalf of the National Administrative Council, NAC, said: “TUC and its affiliates are unanimous on the return of our children back to school, and government has no excuse whatsoever to further keep these innocent students and their lecturers at home. The Congress is worried that a government that could raise money to feed children who were at home during the heat of COVID-19 cannot do same for the education sector now...."

“The danger of keeping the students at home at a time the country is facing a serious security challenge is quite grave and unacceptable to us."

“Therefore, TUC is strongly in solidarity with the university lecturers and the students in this struggle and we advise that everything must be done to dispense with the impasse to avoid a situation where Congress might be compelled to embark on a solidarity strike."

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Meanwhile, The Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) has said there is no going back on its decision to continue with its ongoing strike following Federal Government’s failure to honour the 2009 agreement.

ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osedeke, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

Osedeke said the union took the ‘difficult decision’ after exhausting all avenues available to amicably settle the matter with the Federal Government. “If the government is willing to resolve the issues affecting the Nigerians, then there would be no need to go on strike. The problem is the will of the government to resolve issues,” he concluded.