Lecturers dare FG, shun return to work order

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.