President Goodluck Jonathan says the strike
embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union
of Universities since July 1, 2013 over the
non-implementation of 2009 agreement with
the Federal Government is no longer a trade
dispute but a subversive action.
Jonathan said this at the Peoples Democratic
Party state caucus meeting at the
Government House, Yenagoa. The meeting,
presided over by the party chairman in the
state, Col. Samuel Inokoba (retd), started late
on Friday and ended on Saturday.
The President was reacting to a plea by a
former governor of the state, Mr. Diepreye
Alamieyesigha, on the December 4 deadline
given to ASUU to call off its strike or be
sacked.
Alamieyesigha noted that the same date was
fixed for the burial of late Prof. Festus Iyayi,
who died in a road accident in Kogi State on
November 12, en route Kano for the national
executive council.
The NEC meeting was meant to deliberate on
the latest government offer after meeting with
Jonathan on November 4 to the early hours
of November 5.
The former governor, who is also the
Chairman Elders Advisory Forum in the state,
urged the President to reconsider the date in
order not to be seen as insensitive.
President Jonathan said despite holding the
longest meeting in his political career with all
the highest officers in his administration
present including the Vice-President, Minister
of Finance, Minister of Labour, Minister of
Justice, the Secretary to the Government and
the delegation from the Nigeria Labour
Congress, ASUU did not deem it fit to
reconsider its stance.
Jonathan said, “What ASUU is doing is no
longer trade union. I have intervened in other
labour issues before now, once I invite them,
they respond and after the meeting they take
decision and call off the strike.
“At times, we don’t even give them a long
notice unlike in the case of ASUU that was
given four days notice before the meeting. As
you are meeting to resolve trade disputes,
you expect the trade unions to get their
officials ready. What was expected having
met with the highest authorities in the land
for long hours, was for ASUU to immediately
issue a statement within 12 or latest 24
hours to state their position whether they
were accepting government’s offer or not.
And if they are not accepting, they state the
reason for that.
“But despite the fact that I had the longest
meeting with ASUU in my political history, we
did not start that meeting until around 2 pm
and the meeting ended the next day in the
early hours of the morning. As far as the
government of Nigeria was concerned, all the
critical people that should be in a meeting
were there, so what else do they want?
He added, “After that, they didn’t meet until
one week, despite the fact that you met with
the highest authority. It was unfortunate one
of them, Prof. Iyayi died.
“The way ASUU has conducted the matter
shows they are extreme and when Iyayi died,
they now said the strike was now indefinite,
our children have been at home for over five
months.
“We didn’t give them ultimatum; it was the
Committee of Vice Chancellors that took that
decision. The supervising minister of
education only passed on the decision. What
ASUU is doing is no longer trade dispute but
subversive action. But like you rightly noted
so that we will not be perceived to be
insensitive, we will consult on the deadline.”
The Federal Government had on Thursday
given ASUU one week ultimatum to call off
strike or consider themselves sacked.
Meanwhile,the Academic Staff Union of
Universities has dared the Federal
Government to reopen the universities.
The ASUU chairman at the Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile Ife, Prof. Adegbola Akinola,
said this in an interview with our
correspondent in Osogbo on Friday.
The ASUU chairman said members of the
union were unfazed by the deployment of
troops to varsities.
The don said he was not sure that the
Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom
Wike, had the consent of President Goodluck
Jonathan before issuing the ultimatum.
He stated that the union did not shut the
universities but just withdrew services of its
members to press home their demands that
government should take steps to reverse the
decay in the public universities.

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