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Emmanuel Adeyemi,Lokoja
Members of Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) have said they remain one of the most credible voices in the country that can not be silenced or cowed saying even with the antics, intrigues and scheming of the Federal Government the union remains undaunted
Addressing journalists on Tuesday at the Kogi State University Ayingba, the zonal coordinator, Nsukka zone of the union, Dr Igbana Ajir said it was surprising that the Federal Government had not made any tangible efforts to address the demands that led to the ongoing two weeks strike saying instead they were dilly dalling.
He said that the failure of government was a clear evidence of precipitating another round of crisis in the university system especially by non remittance of third party deductions, salaries of members in January 2020 and non payment of February 2020 salaries as of the time of the press conference.
Dr Ajir said that the discussion on ASUU’s proposed alternative to governments Integrated payroll and personnel Information System, IPPIS had not held while the outstanding issues in the memorandum of Agreement of 7th February 2019 involving revitalisation fund, outstanding balance of Earned Academic Allowances, proliferation and non funding of state universities and visitation panels to federal universities have all remained unattended to.
“The non-payment of academic staff salaries for the month of February, 2020 and attempt to pay selected staff in the universities is a grand strategy to divide our ranks and forment more crisis in the universities and further inflict suffering on the students, their parents and wards”.
ASUU also berated the way Governor Yahaya Bello unilaterally sacked 120 of their members from the state university, Ayingba and proscribed the local chapter of the union without following due process
According to him , those actions are both monumental and inimical to the growth and development of the university while members are being subjected to untold hardships just as the fortunes of the university has degenerated to a poor shadow of itself
While calling on the vice-chancellor of Federal u?University Lokoja, Prof Angela Miri to stop witch-hunting ASUU members in the institution, he said her continuous action of causing division among the rnembers will continue to fail unless she embraced the union.
