Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), on Wednesday announced readiness of its members to resume work, if the Federal Government pays their outstanding salaries.
The Ibadan zonal coordinator of the union, Prof Ade Adejumo, made this known at a press conference held in Ibadan.
In spite of the ongoing negotiation with the Federal Government, according to him, the government has refused to pay their salaries and allowances.
The press conference was attended by chairpersons of the union in the University of Ilorin, Prof Moyosore Ajao; University of Ibadan, Prof Ayo Akinwole; Osun State University, Dr. Femi Abanikanda; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Dr. Biodun Olaniran; and Kwara State University, Dr. Dauda Adesola, that are all under Ibadan Zone of the union.
According to the Union, federal government callously withheld check-off dues of some of it’s members, who were selectively paid amputated salaries, to starve the union of the energy needed to sustain the negotiations.
“Some people have been wondering why ASUU is on strike again. The simple answer is that ASUU is on strike because of the survival of the university system where many of us still have our children as students, since we cannot afford sponsoring our children abroad with our measly salaries as politicians do.
“ASUU is on strike in order to restore the past glory of public universities and address the infrastructural decay and deficit in our institutions. ASUU is on strike for the legitimate dues of its members who are the least paid in the tertiary education sub-sector. For the sake of emphasis, the truth that will shock many Nigerians, which is available for verification, is that Chief Lecturers in some tertiary institutions, who are not required to supervise postgraduate students or conduct research, earn more than professors in our lopsided education system.”