Nigerian Senate Tuesday, made frantic effort to avert an impending full blown strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Recall that ASUU had at the weekend issued a threat to embark on a warning strike on Wednesday, to protest Federal Government’s inability to comply with agreements reached with the union since 2009.
To forestall the warning strike and avert a possible full blown action by the lecturers, Senate mandated its President, Bukola Saraki to quickly intervene in the matter with a view to stopping the planned strike.
This resolution followed a point of order from Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Barau Jibrin, who called on the senate to as a matter of urgent public importance, intervene in the matter.
Jibrin admitted the need for the FG to implement 2009 agreement with the union; worried that if government continues to forsake the demands of the lecturers, it could hold dire consequences for the country’s universities.
Aside issues of funding for the universities and welfare of lecturers, a major demand of ASUU is for the FG to exempt universities from its TSA policy.
Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) while seconding the motion, stressed the need to nip the planned strike in the bud; calling on FG to engage ASUU and for the Senate to Intervene.
“The issue of strike has been a recurring decimal in Nigeria. But for a long time, we have not heard of it. So when ASUU said it would embark on strike it was a big concern for many of us who are parents”, he said.
Goje’s position was backed by Senator Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa Central) and Senate Leader, Ali Ndume.
According to them, the President of the Senate should be mandated to wade into the matter, before it degenerates into full blown strike.
Apart from mandating the Senate President to intervene in the matter, the Senate also urged the FG to engage with ASUU and ensure that its entitlements are captured in the 2017 budget.
