"The union would not be backing down on the strike " - Emmanuel Osodeke

Emmanuel Osodeke, President of the union, while on Channels TV Monday, emphasized that the union would not be backing down on the strike as the Federal government has consistently failed to keep the promises made to the union years back.

According to report, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says it will not call off the one-month warning strike it began on February 14.

The union said it no longer wants promises from the government side at this time but action.

“For the past nine years or so, they have been giving us promises but once the strike is over, they relapse. So, our colleagues are tired of these promises which they don’t fulfil. What we want are actions.”

He explained that many schools have not missed any academic year in spite of the strike actions by ASUU, stressing that members of the union have sacrificed for the country’s educational system. 

He noted that many lecturers have not gone on leave for years as they try to meet up with the calendar, contrary to insinuations that Nigerian lecturers are being paid for doing nothing. 

Osodeke further explained that lecturers are paid for the work done, saying that anybody who says ASUU is paid after the strike, is telling a lie. 

He opined that if the Federal Government had followed their own part of the deal, ASUU would not have gone on strike. 

The ASUU President admitted that the students have the right to protest what they believe is wrong, but explained that ASUU is not moved by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) planned protest.