The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has opined that there is a deliberate stifling and killing of public universities in Nigeria by the Federal Government as a way of promoting private ones allegedly owned by the political class.
ASUU believes that the Federal Government has been calculatingly dribbling the union since 2017 in sincerely finding a solution to ASUU/ Federal Government impasse, in order to end the strike for students to go back and resume full academic activities.
ASUU chairperson and Secretary, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, COOU, Anambra State, Comrade Okey Aniebo and Comrade David Enibe, respectively, in a statement chided the Federal Government of being only interested in campaigning for the 2023 general election, than the education, welfare and future of the Nigerian youths.
The statement issued after their meeting in Igbariam, Anambra, East Local Government Area of the state, ASUU, COOU said, “It is unfortunate that the Federal Government has been adopting lies, blackmail deceit and delay tactics to continue to renege on the 2009 ASUU FGN Agreement, the Federal Government is calculatingly dribbling ASUU since 2017 in finding solution to ASUU and FGN face off.”
The statement observed that even the Prof. Ali Munzuali and Prof. Nimi Briggs Committee, set up by the Federal Government to renegotiate the 2009 FGN ASUU Agreement, was not taken seriously by the Federal Government and was frustrated by the same government that set it up.
Initially, the statement explained that ASUU had believed that the government took the step in good faith so as to resolve the contentious issues towards having an end to the strike, saying that unfortunately the government abandoned the separate reports of the committee, thereby confirming the fear of ASUU that it is not interested in seeing an end to the strike.
It regretted to inform the general public that the Federal Government of Nigeria is not serious about ending the ongoing strike but has adopted lies, blackmail, deceit and delay tactics to continue reneging on 2009 ASUU FGN agreement.