Monday, 14 August 2017
The Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, has embarked on an indefinite strike beginning from today August 14th. President of the academic union, Biodun Ogunyemi, announced this in a memo to lecturers dated August 12th.
According to the memo, the union is proceeding on an indefinite strike because of the federal government's failure to implement its 2009 agreement and 2013 memorandum of understanding (MoU).
Other reasons listed for the strike include non-payment of salaries, non-payment of earned academic allowance (EAA), removal of universities staff schools from funding by government and non-implementation of provisions of the 2014 pension reform act with respect to retired professors and their salaries. The memo in part reads
“The national executive council (NEC) of ASUU met at the university of Abuja main campus, Giri, on the 12th of August 2017 to consider the results of a referendum from all branches in a bid to ascertain ways of convincing government to implement outstanding aspects of the 2009 agreement and MoU of 2013. The result of the referendum showed that an overwhelming majority of the branches of our union voted for the strike. In the light of the foregoing, and having exhausted all avenues to get government to fully implement the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement and the 2013 MoU as well as related demands, resolved to embark on a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike action commencing Sunday, 13th August 2017.”
The memo warned lecturers not to supervise any examinations nor go to class to give any lecture.
ASUU embarks on indefinite strike
The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), yesterday, threatened to shut down the country if the Federal Government arrested leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, again.
It said Kanu’s non-violent activities towards Biafra actualisation and restoration have never breached, truncated or confronted the fragile and inconsistent constitution of Nigeria.
In a statement signed by Uchenna Madu, MASSOB also lambasted the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazzu, “who declared the intent of Buhari-led Government of their plan to re-arrest the Biafra leader.”
It accused Dambazzu, of defending “youths of Arewa that threatened the people of Biafra with an ultimatum of quit notice to vacate Arewa land before Oct 1st, 2017 that the coalition of the Arewa Youths were misquoted by the media.”
MASSOB warned that any attempt or plan to re arrest Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will be thoroughly and massively resisted. We can never tolerate it. It is an insult and embarrassment to our inalienable rights.
“Now that we know that our consistency and exposure of the hidden truths is dangerously frustrating, disorganising and killing the age-long Hausa/Fulani Islamic agenda against the people of Biafra, we shall never relent or surrender,” the statement added.
Kanu, who is facing charges bordering on treasonable felony was granted bail by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja on 12 conditions, one of them forbidding him to be in a crowd exceeding10 people.
However, Kanu described the conditions as laughable and said he would flout them because President Muhamadu Buhari had not been held to account first for flouting all the court orders to free him, free El-Zakzaky and others who still being detained by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Meanwhile, IPOB over the weekend staged a protest in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital over the arrest and detention of its members by the state Police command at the Akenfa Police station.
The group during the protest, which caused gridlock along the Mbiama/ Yenagoa road, said it had to stage the protest to demand for the release of its members.
