No going back, says unionTHOSE who expect the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to fizzle out like the previous industrial actions may be disappointed as the union yesterday vowed not to go back to classes untilits demands aremet fullyby the Federal Government.President of ASUU, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from his Abuja base,said 'there is no going back until government showed some level of commitment to implementing the agreement. Government had firmly assured that they would look into the issue in November and we were all hopeful that they would do something, having signed the MoU.'We are surprised that they still could not live up to their promise yet again, maybe they are just playing games with us. As a result of this, I had to meet with the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the union, which then decided to embark on this strike'.Awuzie, who expressed regret over the development, however said 'we are still open to discussions, but this time, we would insist that the approach to such discussionsbe frankness and sincerity of purpose.'The union had on September 26 this year signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government after a two-week warning strike on the same issue. Government was said to have assured the lecturers, during the signing of the MoU, that it would look into their grievances within two months and come up with positive results by November 28.Meanwhile, the ASUU strike, which began midnight on Sunday, is already paralysing academic activities in some universities, while others are yet to comply.The second semester examination of the Ekiti State University (EKSU) scheduled to begin yesterday could not hold as the local chapter of ASUU complied with the directive of its national body to begin an indefinite strike.When the campus was visited yesterday, some students who spoke with The Guardian said some faculties, including that of Education, were billed to start their examination yesterday. In a chat with the journalists yesterday, the Chairman of the local ASUU, Dr. Ayan Adeleke, said there was no going back on the strike 'since it was a national directive from the national body.'Lecturers at the University of Ibadan (UI) yesterday joined their counterparts across the country in the ongoing industrial action.The UI branch chairman of ASUU, Dr. Olusegun Ajiboye, described the strike as total. Ajiboye said although the university had concluded all examinations, no academic staff would participate in any board meeting, university seminar or conference, or in the ongoing registration of the newly-admitted students of the university or any activity requiring the input of academic staff.Also in the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), academic activities were grounded yesterday as the local chapters of ASUU said they were fully complying with the directive of the central union on the nationwide industrial action.Chairman of the union in UNIBEN, Dr. Anthony Monye-Emina, said yesterday in Benin that the school was fully involved in the strike action. Secretary of the FUTA branch of ASUU, Dr. Bola Oniya, explained that the strike which will be total and comprehensive will be sustained until the Federal Government implements in full all the agreements it reached with the union in 2009.But in the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, academic activities were still going on yesterday as students were seen taking examinations and lecturers teaching at the Ikpa Road Campus and the Annex of the university.Sources at the university told The Guardian that the institution was yet to receive directives from the national body.
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