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Nigerian university academics condemns prolonged ASUU strike

By AYOMIDE OKUNNU
20 July 2022   |   3:00 am
The Congress of Nigerian University Academics( CONUA), on Tuesday, declared itself uninvolved in the ongoing strike by the Academics Staff Union of Universities(ASUU)

ASUU

The Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA), on Tuesday, declared itself uninvolved in the ongoing strike by the Academics Staff Union of Universities(ASUU)

“The Congress of University Academic (CONUA) would like to seize this opportunity to announce its independence as a union of academic staff in Nigeria’s public universities,” CONUA said in a statement signed by its national coordinator Dr Niyi Sunmonu and spokesman Dr Ernest Nwoke

“Being a separate and independent union, it has never been part of the decision to embark on the industrial action which has paralysed academic activities in our universities for five months now”.

CONUA said that strikes have a crippling effect on the Nigerian university system.

The current strike that commenced on February 14, had stopped all academic activities in most federal and state universities after the FG refused to meet a negotiated demand by ASUU

CONUA added that the negative effects of the strikes have always been greater than other positive results

“Furthermore, our strongly-held view is that strikes wreak great havoc on the university system, and the concessions that are earned after every strike, over the decades, have amounted to pyrrhic victories when weighed against the systematic destruction of the local and global image of university education in Nigeria,” it said.

“Our preferred alternatives to strikes in resolving industrial disputes, therefore, include constructive engagement and constant dialogue with all stakeholders.”

“As CONUA, we are of the strong belief that strikes should never be a strategy of first recourse. Their deployment should be contemplated only when all other options have failed, and they should not appear to be motivated by a desire to cause maximum damage.”

It further noted that its members continued with academic activities at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife and Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma after the strike declared by ASUU.

“In fact, before the incident which caused the students to be asked to vacate the campus, most of our members had concluded their lectures.

“Since it wasn’t our members who declared a strike, lumping us together with those who are on strike is therefore patently unfair,” it said

Recall that CONUA had disassociated from the union in 2020 after it had declared the ASUU’s strike decision “utterly insensitive, irresponsible and a betrayal of national trust.”

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