The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has stated that it does not want to embark on another indefinite strike action that would leave students stranded, regretting that the government was compelling the union to go on strike.
The union also urged the student union government in universities to back ASUU to ensure that schools do not close down for strike action.
The Zonal Coordinator of Port Harcourt Zone of ASUU, Comrade Stanley Ogoun, while addressing pressmen in Port Harcourt, Friday, hinted that the government wants the union to go on strike, but said the union was not ready at the moment to carry out the action.
Ogoun called on students and parents to reject the call by the FG for ASUU to proceed on strike, adding that they were resisting all attempts by the FG to force them to proceed on strike.
He said its consistent demand was to make Nigeria universities standard, but bemoaned that the government was only interested in proliferation of universities without adequately funding them.
Ogoun said: “The Academic Staff Union of Universities is calling on Al students, parents and well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on government at both the Federal and State levels that our union is rejecting their directive for us to proceed on strike, for now.
“Fellow masses, please ask the government to prove us wrong, that strike is not the only language they understand.
“Why compel us to disrupt academic activities again on our campuses, when we are yet to recover from the covid-19 assault?
“By deliberately rejecting and frustrating all overtures for peace, the government has spoken unequivocally that strike is the only language they understand.
“Our union is painfully resisting all attempts by the government to compel us to proceed on strike on strike so as to blackmail our union as they do with all labour unions in the country.”
He regretted the FG was interesting in professional bodies embarking on strike, adding that being civil haha become a recipe for total abandonment in Nigeria.
Ogoun said the union should not be the ones crying and consistently fighting for government to do the right thing, adding that it should be a collective effort to save the falling standard of education in the country.
“Fellow Nigerians, you are aware that resident doctors are on strike due to governments’ preference for disruptive behaviour. Our courts were closed for a long time for the same reason.
“They have now asked us to join the queue. By subscribing to disruptive behaviour, the government has affirmed to Nigerians its preferred national behavioural model,” he added.