BREAKING NEWS! ASUU Strike Has Been Called Off!

Finally, ASUU Strike Has Been Called Off! The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has confirmed the suspension of its over five-months-old strike.

The Chairman of the ASUU, University of Lagos Chapter, Karo Ogbinaka, told Channels Television that the union decided to call off the protracted protest after a marathon meeting held on Monday in Minna, Niger State capital.

The National President of ASUU, Dr. Issa Fagge has also confirmed this!

“We expect the students to resume and their members to go back to work immediately after the congress meeting, and we expect the government to keep to the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)”, Ogninaka stated.

ASUU’s demands
ASUU’s demands include the upward review of the retirement age for professors from 65 to 70; adequate funding to revitalise the university system; progressive increase of budgetary allocations to the education sector by 26%; transfer of Federal Government property to universities; setting up of research and development units by the companies; and renegotiation of the signed agreement.

The fresh demands include a non-victimisation clause, provision and deposit of N200 billion infrastructure revitalisation funds in an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) details of disbursement of the funds and payment of salary arrears which has accrued to the teachers during the strike.

The Wednesday agreement between the two which is reportedly due for renegotiation in 2014 was reached barely 24 hours after the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe presented a proof of payment of N200 billion into an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Nigeria’s university lecturers have been on strike since July 1, 2013 to demand full implementation of the 2009 agreement it reached with the Federal Government on conditions of service for university lecturers, and funding of infrastructural development in Nigerian universities.

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