The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has vowed that the members of the union would not go back to work until all the demands that led to its nationwide strike on March 23rd, 2020 as well as the issue concerning IPPIS are addressed by the federal government and measures that would make students obey Covid-19 safety protocols to avert tragedy in schools are provided.
This was disclosed by Professor Ade Adejumo, ASUU zonal coordinator of Ibadan zone, comprising of the University of Ibadan, Unilorin, UniOsun, KWASU, and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), in Ilorin at a news conference.
According to him “our strike action which was predicated on governments readiness to honour its MOA with us continues, even if the universities are opened today. It is our responsibility to call governments attention to its duties to the nation and its citizens; this we have done and there is no going back”. He said, “It is unfortunate that the government has refused to take upon its own responsibility to use the period of the Covid-19 pandemic to address their demands.
Adejumo, noted that there have been agitations from some quarters for the government to re-open schools, especially by proprietors of private universities, he however stated that lives of students should not be endangered for pecuniary gains. “Has the Nigerian government met the NCDC criteria on COVID-19 protocol in our institutions? Must we endanger the lives of our children for pecuniary gains? Should the primary issue on life and death be used on profit matter?
“A situation where a room meant for four now houses 20 students cannot be said to be social-distancing compliant. Our position, as a responsible Union on all these is that; throwing schools open in the midst of all these, is an open invitation to tragic explosion of the COVID-19 scourge on a scale never witnessed anywhere since its outbreak!”. He said.
