Mock Reopening - Varsities Open Registers for Lecturers

 News filtering in has it that skeletal activities resumed in the various varsities across the country, as the deadline given by Federal Government to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to call off the six month-old strike or be sacked expires tomorrow. Several universities have opened registers to be signed by the lecturers even as the leadership of ASUU insisted that the strike will continue. Activities across the varsities is as follows,

Lectures resume at AAUA

State-owned Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA) lectures resumed, yesterday, but few lecturers and students were seen in the lecture theaters.

ESUT lecturers, students back to school

Students and lecturers of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) have also returned to school following a directive by the school authorities.

The lecturers, on the other hand, held a meeting with the governing council of the university at the Agbani campus on the resumption of work.

Though the executive members of the ESUT branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which called the strike, did not attend the meeting.

UNEC Enugu

At the Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka as only a few students and lecturers were on campus. NAN reports that the few lecturers were in their various offices discussing or reading while the non-academic staff members were busy working.

Lecturers shun registers at UI

At the University of Ibadan, ASUU members resolved not to sign any register as directed by the government. The lecturers took the decision during a congress held in the institution yesterday.

Uniben students stay away

At the University of Benin, in spite of announcement by the university authorities that academic activities would resume today, there were no signs of resumption in the university yesterday, as both the Ekenwa and Ugbowo campuses were empty.

No lecturers at Ambrose Ali University

Meanwhile, at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, there were no signs that the university would soon re-open as no student was at the two campuses of the university at Emuado and the main campus.

Lecturers shun directives at Unijos, Abu, FUT Minna, and others

At the University of Jos, the governing council directed heads of departments to open attendance registers for academic staff.

ASUU vows to continue strike

Meanwhile, the National President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagge who briefed journalists in Abuja on the position of the union following the ultimatum, said the Federal Government was free to open all the federal universities in the country but all the members of ASUU would not go back to work unless government met all their demands.

According to Fagge, "we shall bow only to what we as academics are convinced will serve the interest of Nigeria and its people, no matter their ethnic, religious or class origins. This is where we stand. We shall never be cowed.

Our agreement with FG -- ASUU

Dr. Fagge said in the agreement, the Federal Government promised to provide N1.1 trillion in the next six years starting from 2013 with N200 billion, 2014, N220billion, 2015 N220billion, 2016 N220 billion, 2017 N220billin and 2018 N220 billion, for the revitalization of the University system. It was further agreed that a dedicated revitalisation account should be opened at Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, by the Federal Government and fund would be paid into the account on quarterly basis from which the universities will draw.

The ASUU President said after the November 4, 2013 meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan and after the National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Kano, the union communicated to the Federal Government on the agreement. He said ASUU also asked the Federal Government to include non-victimization clause and that a new Memorandum of Understanding should be signed by a representative of government, preferably the Attorney General of the Federation and a representative of ASUU, with President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC as witness.

He added that "For a Minister of Education to issue threat of sack of academic staff is a tragedy of huge proportion for Nigeria and Africa. While ASUU has been struggling for conditions in which Nigerian students would benefit from, the Minister of Education is thinking of a thoughtless mass sack as a solution to the problems arising from Government's non-implementation of an Agreement reached with ASUU as if Nigerian rulers have made no intellectual progress since Abacha.

Culled from allafrica.com