INTERESTED GROUPS EXPRESS THEIR CONCERN ON THE ASUU STRIKE

Sadly, as the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) continues to linger, several Nigerians, corporate and civil society groups have begun to mount subtle pressure on the union to soft pedal on its funding demands from the federal government, with a view to ending the strike, which has kept the nation’s public universities shut for over 11 weeks.

One of such groups, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria (CCSON) has appealed to the striking ASUU members not to be insistent on the funding demands for the university system, as a way to resolve the current negotiations deadlock with the government.

The strike, which is now in its third month seems to have no resolution in sight, as ASUU has insisted on the implementation of the 2009 Agreement and the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), both of which stipulate that the government would release N1.4 trillion for the sector in the next three years.

CCSON in a statement issued after an emergency meeting in Abuja at the weekend, expressed concern at the declining rate of the education sector and called on the warring parties to urgently work on a resolution to save the sector from further decline.
In the statement signed by the National Coordinator, Mr. Temitope Fadahunsi and National Secretary, Mr. Ahmed Yahaya, CCSON disagreed with ASUU that Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) was not doing enough for the universities. 

“The issue ASUU is fighting for boils down to proper funding and what Nigerians need is for the tertiary education sector to function optimally, we implore ASUU to be logical in their argument on some issues as regards the betterment of education in Nigeria”, it read.

“We are of the opinion that ASUU is fighting a good fight which is for the proper funding of the education sector, but the continued strike going into its third month is not to say that government has not been doing anything at all in the education sector,” the statement added.

However, President Goodluck Jonathan had already expressed his surprise that ASUU had not called off the strike, after federal government had already offered N30 billion to settle the allowances of ASUU members as well as N149 billion for upgrading of infrastructure in the universities.

We shall bring you more info on the current negotiation going on(closed- doors)  between ASUU and  the federal government in a giffy.