ASUU shuts FUTO, as LAUTECH, UniOsun join Nationwide strike
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Tuesday shut all academic and non academic activities at the Federal University of Technology , Owerri , in solidarity with the nationwide industrial action embarked upon by the academic body .
The union equally declared “ no teaching, no examination , no attendance to statutory meetings” until its demands were met by the Federal Government .
Chairman of the union in FUTO, Christopher Echereobia , at a press conference , accused the Federal Government of “ deliberate action to kill public education in Nigeria . ”
Echereobia, who spoke alongside the union ’ s secretary , Chinedu Ihejirika , said that it was unfortunate that the government was sabotaging the country’ s education sector .
The ASUU chief informed that the goal of the indefinite strike was to compel the government to address various issues affecting the education sector.
He listed some of the issues to include “ funding for the revitalisation of public universities based on the Federal Government -ASUU Memorandum of Understanding of 2012, 2013 and 2017. ”
Meanwhile, members of the union in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology , Ogbomoso and their colleagues at the Osun State University have joined the indefinite strike called by the National Executive Council of the union .
The LAUTECH ASUU declared the strike action in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Tuesday and signed by the Chairman , Dr Biodun Olaniran and Secretary , Toyin Abegunrin while the chairman of the union in Osun State University , Dr Femi Abanikanda, declared the commencement of the strike at the university in a statement made available to our correspondent.
The communiqué issued after its congress in LAUTECH read in part, “ The congress of ASUU LAUTECH branch met on Tuesday November 6, 2018 and resolved to join the strike as directed by the national body of the union . ”
The UNIOSUN branch of the union said the reasons for embarking on the strike were justifiable, saying government had reneged on agreements reached with the union since 2009.