Academic Staff Union of Universities Threatens Fresh Strike - The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that it may ask its members to embark on fresh round of industrial dispute if the current National Assembly fails to enact relevant laws required for the smooth operation of universities in the country, in accordance line with the 2009 ASUU/Federal Government agreement. ASUU National President, Prof. Awuzie Achuzia, told reporters yesterday that the Federal Government has reneged on its part of the agreement. He spoke at the end of ASUU National Executive Council, at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

According to Achuzia, Nigerians should hold government and the National Assembly responsible for any disruptions in academic activities at the nation's universities.

As he put it, "of particular concern is the 70 years retirement age for lecturers in the professorial cadre. The expectation was that this item in the agreement would be passed into law within a few months of the agreement.

"After close to two years of waiting in vain and seeing the consequences in the form of continued brain drain in the university system, ASUU members have become restive across the country.

"ASUU wishes to warn the country that it should not be held responsible for the consequences if, at the end of this current legislative year, the current National Assembly fails to enact the required law.

"We have directed all branches of the union to immediately call their various congresses within the next three days to take necessary resolutions that their members have been calling for in the last months.

"What is required is very simple. Just for them to amend the law on retirement for academic staff in the Professorial cadre.

"But they have refused to take a look at the bill because they are not interested in solving the problem in the sector.

"We also condemned the recent government decision to establish new federal universities across the country because the excuse given by the government for the establishment is not tenable since the current federal universities have not been adequately funded by the government.

"Even though the government has argued that the establishment of the new universities will solve the problem of access to admission and access to university education but establishing 12 new universities will not address the huge gap in demand for university education in the country.

"While ASUU is deeply committed to the expansion of university education in the country we however believe that the process must be proper and not the outcome of a jerk reaction to some unanticipated political pressure.

"At the moment, existing federal universities have a short fall of over 30,000 lecturers and creating more universities means further depleting the existing universities of qualified staff," he stated.

Agaju Madugba

Daily Champion/17/05/2011