After reviewing the outcome of its meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo at Aso Rock, the Academic Staff of Union of Universities (ASUU), Delta State University chapter, has resolved to continue with the industrial action, saying that the Federal Government cannot be trusted.
ASUU members expressed dismay that government failed to seize the opportunity to restore normalcy to the universities, thereby dashing the hopes of Nigerians by trivializing the fundamental issues in the Nigeria public university system “by recourse to platitudes and arm twisting tactics.’’
The DELSU-ASUU chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Mordi, said the Federal Government has not stopped making promises, which it has no intention to fulfill.
He noted that government promise to provide N150 billion in 2014 towards the revitalization of Nigeria’s public universities does not amount to a significant shift in government’s position and is a breach of the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement and 2012 memorandum of understanding (MoU), which bound government to provide N400 billion in 2013, N400 billion in 2004 and N400 billion in 2015.
“Government is not taking the issues seriously because its functionaries, who are the highest paid in the world have access to the public resources with which to train their children abroad”, he stated.
He urged civil society organizations, traditional rulers, church leaders and other Nigerians to prevail on the Federal Government to fully implement the 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement and the 2012 memorandum of understanding.
The union reiterated its condemnation of what it described as the “ungodly, unguarded, sycophantic, provocative and inflammatory outbursts ‘’ of the Anglican Primate, the Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, urging him to retrace his steps and seek the face of God who, they said, he had offended by siding with the oppressors against the future of the Nigerian students.
