The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Sunday advised parents not to endanger the lives of their children and wards by sending them to their university campuses.
ASUU which also told its members not to sign attendance registers in their institutions, lashed out at the Federal Government for lack of consistency in its statements on the ongoing strike.
The Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, had at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, warned that any ASUU member that failed to resume on or before Wednesday would be sacked.
Wike also directed vice-chancellors to advertise vacancies (internal and external) in their institutions.
He told the vice-chancellors to open attendance registers for lecturers that resumed in their universities.
The Federal Government then directed the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, to deploy policemen in all the federal universities.
On Friday, President Goodluck Jonathan, who described the strike by the university teachers as a “subversive action,” added that ASUU had ceased to be a trade union.
But the Chairman, University of Ibadan chapter of ASUU, Dr. Segun Ajiboye, said parents should keep their children and wards at home as no academic activity would resume until the five-month-old strike was called off.
Ajiboye added, “Don’t risk the lives of your children and wards. Keep them at home because ASUU will not teach. Soldiers and the police deployed by the Federal Government will not teach. Wike can come and teach in the universities. It is a huge joke to sack lecturers. Our strike must not be in vain. Our students must see the results.
“It is funny. We thought we are in a democracy. I assure Nigerians that we know what the law says about the strike. Our job is statue backed. We are not threatened. “We do not trust the government. The record of the government is clear. This government is dishonouring agreements. Our members are resolved to pursue this to a logical conclusion.”
Ajiboye also said that the Federal Government’s stance was from a script that was played out by the military administration of Ibrahim Babangida in the 1990s.
He stated, “Dear members, stay calm and remain resolute. There is nothing wrong in asking government to do what it says it will do immediately. ASUU is not making any new demands as the supervising minister is propagating. Government is only repeating a ‘one act play’ scripted by the IBB dictatorship in early 90s. It didn’t work then, and, it won’t work now. All branches are intact. We cannot be intimidated.
“If ASUU could withstand Babangida, this government cannot threaten us. We have worked this road before, the only thing that will work is peaceful resolution. It is sad that government wants to sack us because we are asking for the resolutions. We are ready to be sacked but government should learn from the University of Ilorin experience. We are going to stay the course.”
ASUU President, Dr. Nassir Fagge, urged university teachers on Sunday not to sign any attendance register.
Fagge, in a message to the UI chapter , urged the lecturers to be resolute in their demands despite the threat of insecurity to their jobs.
He said, “Comrades, can you see the unfolding drama? Now Jonathan says they didn’t give ultimatum. That the vice -chancellors did and Wike became their trumpet. But NUC’s (National Universities Commission) ultimatum is by the Federal Government to us to resume or get sacked.
“Wike’s press address says ‘FG has directed’ not ‘VCs have directed.’ Be calm, stay resolute. By God’s grace, we are on course.”
The Chairman, University of Lagos chapter of the union, Dr. Karol Ogbinaka, said Jonathan’s description of the strike as a “subversive action,” was unfortunate.
“How can our action be subversive when we do not have arms and ammunition? We take exception to that. We are academics not coup plotters. I have a feeling he was misquoted. I wish to deny this on his behalf because it is an extreme statement,” Ogbinaka said.
He also faulted the buck passing on the directive to reopen universities, saying it pointed to the fact that the government was “somersaulting.”
According to him, the Federal Government is now shifting the blame among the pro-chancellors, Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Wike.
But the Presidency on Sunday insisted that those behind the strike were enemies of the state.
It said this could be the reason why the ASUU leadership refused to call off the strike even when 42 out of its 61 chapters voted against its continuation.
The Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, stated these at a news conference in Abuja on Sunday.
He wondered why the leadership of the union also refused to call off the strike even after its 13-hour meeting with the President.

Okupe described the strike as an evil programme motivated by selfish political interest.
He said, “The ASUU leadership refused to accede to the wishes of 42 of its 61 chapters nationwide, who voted in favour of the agreement with the President and the calling off of the strike; but in a surprise volte face presented government again with a new set of demands and considerations outside the terms agreed at the presidential intervention.
“From all indications therefore and other information available to government, it has become obvious that this is no longer an altruistic strike borne out of good intentions and aimed at improving the welfare of students and staff of the universities and the standard of our educational institutions.
“Rather it is an evil programme motivated by selfish political interests and motivations within the polity. These are, quoting late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, ‘the enemies of state operating from within’”.
While Okupe was talking tough in Abuja, the All Progressives Congress slammed the government for issuing the sack threat against the university teachers.
In a statement in Lagos, the APC said the resort to military tactics reflected government’s poverty of ideas in resolving the prolonged strike.
The statement by the party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, also criticised Wike for the way he talked down on the striking teachers, while issuing the threat.
APC stated, ‘’Wike’s language was crude, his presentation was rude and his threat was demeaning and counter-productive. We believe his lack of finesse and the inability to think out of the box in handling the whole strike issue will not bode well for a quick resolution of the crisis.”
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress will on Monday(today) meet with the ASUU leadership as part of its efforts to resolve the crisis between the union and the Federal Government.
http://www.punchng.com/news/ASUU-to-parents-keep-your-children-at-home/

I can now authoritatively confirm that ASUU leader is high on marijuana. How on earth does he think that an ordinary selfish body like ASUU can stop a presidential directive. GEJ should sack that 1diot from his job, let me see how he will continue as ASUU chairman when he joins ladipo market traders association. Non sense

Idi Amin: I can now authoritatively confirm that ASUU leader is high on marijuana. How on earth does he think that an ordinary selfish body like ASUU can stop a presidential directive. GEJ should sack that 1diot from his job, let me see how he will continue as ASUU chairman when he joins ladipo market traders association. Non sense

You are just a f00lish f00l

ASUU is claiming democracy when it's national executive is grossly undemocratic.
42 out of 61 chapters voted against the strike, why continue?

42 out of 61 voted for the strike to b called off, but in that 42 some members voted with a clause that the government should let AGN, CBN govo, and NLC to signed d agreement. Is it too much to ask?....

42 signed that the strike should be called off, fine... But conditions were laid down. Let FG fulfill those conditions. Simple. I on my own don't trust the FG.

Demdem: Good advise from ASUU.

I expect reasonable parents to be wise.

Dont play politics with everything. These men have been compromised and they dont care a hoot about the ramifications of their strike on the polity.

Does ASUU think they are the only ones working in this country?
This generation of students has since gone to the dogs. ASUU can never try this in the 90's. Now all you have are silly brats protesting over the loss of Swaggz to their school due to renaming.

.

Goood ooooh.
I was in school and i was almost rapppped!!!
Ma parents warned me not to go.
**shocked**

I don't understand the stand of federal government again, what is too hard in what ASUU have said? Fg promised to be giving ASUU 220b yearly for five years and ASUU accepted it just that it must be in written form and sign by different corporation(central Bank and co.), secondly, their four months salary must be paid to them. Then if government is really serious about Nigerian student why can't they pay ASUU their four months salary and let the suposed corporation to sign the agreement? And everybody is busy pouring blame and insult on ASUU, please lets call a spade a spade. Okay even if they succeed in sacking all the lecturers and employ new ones won't they be paying them? won't they be spending in renovating schools if the need arise? Yes I am 200L student been affecting by this strike but am not siding government in this things, I don't see anything too hard in those ASUU's conditions

NASU is about to go on strike as well.

Jokers

5points: Goood ooooh.
I was in school and i was almost rapppped!!!
Ma parents warned me not to go.
**shocked**

this slowpoke is here again. Why not go back to the sexuality section since that is where your likes are found?

Bishop Magic:

Dont play politics with everything. These men have been compromised and they dont care a hoot about the ramifications of their strike on the polity.

Does ASUU think they are the only ones working in this country?
This generation of students has since gone to the dogs. ASUU can never try this in the 90's. Now all you have are silly brats protesting over the loss of Swaggz to their school due to renaming.

you are quite young I suppose. Why do you think Atahiru Jega of inec is highly respected? Go back to history and read about ASUU during the military era. The only union military governments dreaded. GEJ is a small fry for these guys and he knows. A peaceful resolution is better for both parties. This threat won't work.

As much as I want this strike to end, I fink d govt re gettin it wrong. This people re bunch of academician nd learner personels, I dn't expt them to succumb to d fg threat cos dey k nw their rit nd with d support of their partners associatns lyk NLC nd TUC. Notin gwd will com out of d threat. Wike think dt this is a matter of him nd amaechi or rivers assembly. Some skul will resume based on fg directives nd they will be left wit no option than to close again jst lyk AAUA cos dere wn't be any academics activities nd it's nt jst possible to sack all d ASUU members wit their experiences.They knw more than d govt, I jst siddon,dey watch hw it's going to be nd I knw dt most of d people supporting d fg actions re nt student.

Kai! Why all dis people dey behav anyhow na! I for don finish my programme (MSc) 2 months bak. (Oct). I for just go outside naija ohhh! See as I dey old for house! #cryin

Hmmmm

luvinhubby: ASUU is claiming democracy when it's national executive is grossly undemocratic.
42 out of 61 chapters voted against the strike, why continue?

My brother dont mind those hypocrites they have easily forgoting that democracy is a game of numbers and not demonstration of craziness.

ASUU de madt o. Advice of the century. Maybe they think parent and students are still in support of them.

^^ Be like sey dem no value you for house??

Maa siddon dey look how this week go be!

We are keeping ourselves at home self.both ASUU and Fg should resolve this issue by 11.59pm on jan 1,2014.gracias

Lets see

My birthday loading jooh

Girls are very wicked creatures,Infact not only girls,It is every female creature.For example,-Femaledogs becomes wicked when they give birth-Female chickens chases people when they give birth too-Male lions don't eat humans no matter how hungry they are, but female lions do.-Female human beings spend average 30yrs of their lives asking for recharge cards.The most annoying one is..-It is the female mosquitoes that transmit Malaria.Gosh! Federal Gov't need to do something about this females starting from Nairaland Girls before they kill us all o0.. Abeg make una look into my Siggy and vote it works on Computers and phones on desktop views. U need to like the Facebook page b4 u can vote 4 Timothy Chukwunwogor. Tnx AS 4 ASUU STRIKE, I SENSE COUP D' ETAT WHERE ARMY GENERALS, BECOMEs D NEXT VC.

This is scary.

luvinhubby: ASUU is claiming democracy when it's national executive is grossly undemocratic.
42 out of 61 chapters voted against the strike, why continue?

forget ds 42 to 61 issue, pdp led govt has taught us that minority supercede the majority. My wish is dat d strike shd be called off anytime afta dec 3, atleast i want to see how their empty threat of mass sack will be.