The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has vowed not to give in to its strike, saying it is steadfast in its demands and committed to seeing the struggle through.
According to NAN, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, the Chairman of the ASUU University of Ibadan Chapter, made this announcement in a statement on Monday in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He continued by saying that although some industries in Nigeria have been on strike for 13 months, their salaries have still been paid.
Pro. Akinwole stated, “Lecturers retain Nigerian public universities with their blood, but is it right for Nigerians to say they should die on the job? I am saying they are owing us over eight years verified earned academic allowances.
“Is it only ASUU that is on strike? Some sectors (research institutes) of the nation have been on strike for 13 months and the government has been paying their salaries.
“Is it an offence to become lecturers in Nigerian universities? What led to the strike? It is the non-responsiveness of the government that led to the strike.”
He noted that ASUU will not sacrifice its members’ welfare and will resist any effort to turn intellectuals into slaves. He added that the union had given the federal government a 14-month strike notice before the strike started in 2022.
“We waited for 14 months from December 2020 to February 2022 before declaring this strike.
“I am saying 14 months’ notice, 14 months engagements and Nigeria Inter-religious council intervened in 2021 when we would have declared the strike.
“We gave them one month with no result. Heroes are gone before they are appreciated, but our union will not die. We will not die. We are going to be alive to see this struggle through,” he said.
The ASUU chief also added that the N1.1 trillion for revitalisation of universities was not for lecturers in the public universities, highlighting the figure was arrived at by the Federal Government through its NEEDS Assessment report on the level of decay in Nigerian public universities.
“If ASUU does not go on this struggle, there will be no university for new people to attend.
“In the last 25 years, the Federal Government would not have spent money on its universities, if ASUU had not gone on strike,” he added.