Education

ASUU divided over strike suspension, holds NEC meeting

Published

2 years ago

October 13, 2022

Barring a last-minute change, the Academic Staff Union of Universities may call off its indefinite strike on Thursday (today)..

The Court of Appeal had last Friday, ordered the union to call off its strike.

The House of Representatives also intervened in the matter, raising the hope that the union may call off the strike soon.

The PUNCH gathered that most of the over 123 branches of the union have completed their congresses on the lingering strike.

Findings by The PUNCH revealed that while some universities voted for the suspension of the strike, others voted for conditional suspension.

One of our correspondents, however, gathered that at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, the branch did not reach a consensus.

A source within the branch said, “No agreement was reached. Members agreed to follow the decision of the union’s National Executive Committee. Remember, we were on strike before the national body declared a strike.”

The situation was different at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, where one of our correspondents gathered that the branch voted in favour of “conditional suspension.”

However, at the congress held at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, which also had ASUU members from the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, both in Ondo State in attendance, members voted for suspension so as not to disobey court orders.

“Members did not want to vote initially but you know ASUU is a union of intellectuals and we cannot be caught breaking the law. That was why we voted for suspension,” a union member present at the congress confided in The PUNCH.

It was also gathered that Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria voted for a conditional suspension of the strike.

At the Usmanu DanFodiyo University, our correspondents also gathered that the branch voted for suspension based on the Appeal Court order.