Akwa Ibom gov demands end to ASUU strike

NAAT Extends Ongoing Strike By Four Weeks
Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant has appealed to the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to work out an end to the on-going strike action and re-open universities so that students can return to schools.

In a statement by the spokesperson of the Udom Emmanuel Presidential Council, Mr. Bola Bolawole, Emmanuel said the time has come for both the FG and ASUU to climb down from their high horse and avert a disaster that may strike the country’s educational system as a whole, if the ASUU strike is not quickly called off and universities re-opened for studies.

“According to data from the country’s apex Bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria’s Diaspora remittances inflow for the first nine months of 2021 rose to $14.2b, up 10 per cent Year-on-Year from $12.9b in the corresponding period of 2020 and beating the World Bank quarter-on-quarter projections for the same period.

“This is second only to foreign exchange earned from the oil sector. Nothing must be done to adversely affect its growth in the short- and long-term. If university certificates from Nigeria are no longer recognised, how can our people moving abroad for further studies and job opportunities will fulfill their dreams?

Meanwhile, the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has extended its ongoing strike by four weeks to further press home its demands from the Federal Government. 

The association, in a statement, yesterday, in Abuja, by the General Secretary, Engr. Abubakar Yusuf, directed all the state chairmen to continue the ongoing industrial action for another four weeks.

The decision was taken at the 56th regular meeting of the National Executive Committee of the NAAT held at the National Secretariat Complex, University of Abuja. 

The statement said the meeting extensively reviewed the situation on the four weeks warning strike which expired on May 3, 2022 and expressed serious concern on the inability of the FG to address any of the issues in contention as well as her lack of commitment to all issues through meaningful dialogue with the union for a way forward.

NAAT added that the meeting between it and the FG team on the FGN/NAAT 2009 Agreement renegotiation held in April, 2022 was inconclusive. 

“Consequent, the meeting unanimously resolved to roll-over the four weeks warning strike by another four weeks. This has become necessary to give government more time to holistically address NAAT demands and for any possible intervention at the expiration of the 21 days ultimatum given to government by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),” Yusuf said.