ASUU Strike: "FG shows no commitment towards ending ongoing strike" - ASUU
The union also said the government has not given Nigerians much reasons to celebrate the 53rd anniversary of the country as an independent nation, especially when considering the high rate of insecurity in the country.
The Chairman of ASUU (UniAbuja chapter), Dr. Clement Chup, while speaking with THISDAY in a telephone interview yesterday, lamented that President Goodluck Jonathan, in his presidential chat aired on Sunday night, chose to describe the ongoing strike as one that had taken on a political dimension.
"Unfortunately, when he was asked the nature of politics, he did not respond, he did not tell us how the strike is political. So, I do not know what exactly he means by saying the strike has turned political.
“Government clearly has not shown any commitment and from what the president was saying yesterday, you could see that there is no commitment: the way he was talking about the strike, as if it is one small issue that does not matter. If he so feels so, we are saying that we are ones at the receiving end and we are committed to this strike," Chup said.
He disclosed that the strike would persist as all state congresses of the union had rejected the pleas of Vice-President Namadi Sambo, who engaged the leadership of the union in talks about two weeks ago.
The vice-president, he said, did not offer anything 'concrete', adding that the strike, which was declared total, indefinite and comprehensive from the onset, would not be reneged on by the union.
"There was some discussion with the vice-president two weeks ago and we took it to the congresses, that the vice-president simply made appeals to ASUU, there was nothing concrete. And so the congresses resolved that there was nothing substantial and they are continuing with the strike. This is to tell you that we have not heard anything concrete or serious from government. From the commencement of the strike we declared clearly that it was a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike, and that unless government shows commitment to the implementation of the 2009 agreement, we are not reneging on this strike, it remains so," he added.
Commenting on Nigeria's 53rd independence anniversary, Chup said: "At 53, maybe we can just celebrate that we are still a nation, but our government has not given us enough reasons to be hopeful, there is no motivation. Even yesterday during the media chat, one was disappointed because there is nothing he took serious, there is no concrete measure to solve any problem. One begins to wonder what kind of people we have in government: no commitment or seriousness, or responsibility. As a country, if we have the right people in position, we would make progress."
If our leaders' children are affected by this strike, am sure something drastic would've been done!
A law should be drafted to stop government officials from sending their kids to private universities or schools abroad!
Oga, pls don't join GEJ in this show of shame, we all know he's dumb but pls consider the suffering students.
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