The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday reaffirmed its decision to proceed with a two-week nationwide warning strike.
The union said the industrial action would commence if the Federal Government fails to meet its demands by October 13.
ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, made the announcement during an Orientation and Leadership Training held at the Niger Delta University Branch in Amassoma, Bayelsa State.
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He said the union has been patient for too long and will no longer tolerate the government’s neglect of crucial agreements.
“The warning strike has been issued, and we are not meeting to discuss that again as a union because our position has been taken.
“By midnight of Monday, we will embark on a two-week warning strike, after which we will meet after the expiration to decide when to begin an indefinite and comprehensive strike action,” Piwuna stated.
He stressed that the union’s grievances remain unresolved, particularly the re-negotiation and implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.
According to him, the government’s failure to fulfill its promises has forced ASUU to resort to industrial action once again.
“We have given the government enough time. They promised to respond within three weeks and never did.
“Nigerians must always look at the actions of the government that have always pushed us to such actions,” he added.
On the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Piwuna said the union opposed the initiative, arguing that “in an economy where unemployment is high and families can’t feed themselves, giving loans instead of grants will only deepen hardship.”
He further questioned NELFUND’s spending pattern, saying, “When an organisation that is less than a year old and has fewer than a hundred staff is spending ₦14 billion on personnel, it shows something is wrong.”
