NLC Wants Governors To Intervene In ASUU/FG Faceoff

By Ayodele Oni

With the extension of strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) by another three months, stakeholders are reaching out to prominent Nigerians to intervene in the interest of suffering students.

This is just as the protests organized by the labour unions in the country seem to have little or no impact on ASUU and federal government to come to terms on the prolonged strike.

Ekiti state council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) in its view believes intervention by the Nigeria Governors Forum, (NGF) can make federal government to shift ground.

The leadership of the NLC, has therefore appealed to the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who is chairman of NGF, to use his influence to intervene and resolve the ongoing impasse between the Federal Government and university workers.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities and other unions had embarked on strike for almost five months now with no end in sight.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti, the NLC Chairman, Kolapo Olatunde explained that the situation requires urgent steps to put an end to it because of its consequential effects on the nation’s economy, education sector and future of the students.

He urged Governor Fayemi to reach out to other Governors in a bid to meet President Mohamadu Buhari and the minister of labour so as to put heads together towards bringing the issue to a logical end.

Investigation reveal that some state owned universities have backed ASUU by joining the strike, while few are currently in session.

There are indications that the state controlled institutions are waiting for the ASUU to call off its strike before commencing their own.

Some of them are being owed four to six months salaries, while subvention has been drastically reduced or outrightly stopped by state government.

Four tertiary institutions owned by Ondo state government, state polytechnic, Owo; Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba;(AAUA); University of Medical Science, Ondo; and Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, recently cried out over their plight.

Workers of the institutions, under the umbrella of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Ondo State owned Tertiary Institutions comprising of National Association of Academic Technologies (NAAT), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) from the four Tertiary Institutions owned by Ondo State government, said some of the are being owed 12 months salaries.

According to Tayo Ogungbeni, Chairman, JAC-ODSTI, “The most important of our challenges as state institutions is poor funding since the advent of this present administration in the state.

“Before, grants for capital projects and subventions were released as at and when due unlike what we are presently experiencing.