ASUU WARNING STRIKE PARALYSES UNIUYO

Academic activities in the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, yesterday, came to a standstill as the local branch of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called out their members for a three-day warning strike.

The striking lecturers, who marched peacefully through the university's temporary campus carrying placards and singing solidarity songs, said they were in solidarity with their colleagues in state universities over the non-implementation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement.

The Chairman, ASUU-UUB, Dr. Ashong C. Ashong said ASUU was appealing to the conscience of the governing councils of all state universities whose lecturers are on strike to look into the plight of the lecturers by implementing the agreement reached in October 2009.

Ashong said it was disheartening to observe that some state governments had chosen not to even attempt to begin implementation of the agreement, noting that the excuse of not being a party to the negotiation was unnecessary.

He frowned at the attitude of some state governments over non-implementation of the agreement and stressed that, 'for a viable and standard university system in the country, state governments are expected to adopt the agreement as a benchmark of achieving the same set of academic standard.

'It is for this reason that there is one National Universities Commission (NUC) that sets, monitors and enforces standards regardless of the proprietorship of universities in the country.

'We are by this warning strike urging and appealing to the conscience of Visitors of state-owned universities and their governing councils to allow good conscience dictate their actions. If they accede to the principle of having one university system, not several, in the country then they must, in all fairness, adopt this agreement and implement same as part of the minimum standards of which the NUC is custodian,' he said.

Some students who commented on the issue asked the affected state governors who are visitors to these institutions to have a rethink by bowing to the demand of the lecturers.

'We don't want any strike again, University is a place of learning where teachers are held in high esteem and if lecturers embarks on prolong strike it would definitely affect our studies ,the experience of 2009 is still very fresh in our

memory, we therefore plead with ASUU not to go on total strike as such

would not augur well for our future they stated.