L-R: A former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr.
Sule Kano; ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Isa; and Vice President, Prof.
Biodun Ogunyemi, at a press conference by ASUU, in Abuja ... on Monday.
Public universities lecturers across the country on Monday failed to resume to work as directed by the Federal Government.
Investigation conducted by our
correspondents on Monday revealed that academic activities were still
paralysed on campuses across the country.
Lecturers in public universities in
Lagos, Ibadan, Jos, Enugu, Nsukka, Zaria, Minna, Benin, Port Harcourt,
Akure, Abeokuta, and Abuja largely snubbed the government’s order.
For instance, lecturers at the Federal
University of Technology Akure, failed to resume for work contrary to
the directive of the Federal Government.
Our correspondent gathered that the school was still closed because the senate of the university was yet to meet.
A source closed to the management of the
university said “Only the Senate can reopen the school, the
vice-chancellor on his own cannot reopen the school.”
The Obafemi Awolowo University chapter
of ASUU has said that members of the union will not succumb to
blackmails from the Federal Government to resume work.
The chairman of ASUU in the institution,
Prof. Akinola Adegbola, said this in an interview with our
correspondent in Osogbo on Monday.
Although there was no visible presence
of policemen on the campus Akinola vowed that the union was ready for
any action the government wanted to take on the striking lecturers.
Also, at the Federal University of
Technology, Minna, Niger State, lecturers on Monday resolved not to call
off the strike insisting that its members would not sign the register
opened for them by the institution.
The ASUU, FUT, Minna Chapter, through
its chairman, Fatai Jimoh, said it was in support of the national
leadership of the union to remain on strike until the union’s demands
were met.
The Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Kaduna State, on Monday remained deserted as students, lecturers stayed away.
The same scenario played out at the
University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, University of Benin and
University of Port Harcourt on Monday.
A visit by our correspondent to the
Samaru and the Kongo campuses of the institution showed that the
Federal Government and the striking university teachers were in a long
drawn battle as neither the lecturers nor the students had heeded to the
government threat.
The branch Chairman of the ASUU, Dr
Mohammed Kabir-Aliyu, warned parents against allowing their
wards/children to risks their lives by resuming to school.
Academic activities failed to resume at
the Enugu and Nsukka campuses of the University of Nigeria Nsukka and
the Enugu State University of Technology on Monday.
Plain clothes police officers were on Monday noticed within the two campuses of University of Nigeria.
The PUNCH learnt that the cops took strategic positions within and outside the Enugu and Nsukka campuses of UNN as early as 7am.
The situation seemed heightened at the
permanent site of Enugu State University of Technology in Agbani area as
soldiers were seen moving around the campus.
