Prof.Emmanuel Osodeke,ASUU President.
Photo credit: Content 101.
By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has officially announced the suspension of its eight months old strike that paralysed activities at most universities in Nigeria.
The National President of the union, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who made the official pronouncement on Friday morning, however, noted that the demands of the lecturers had not been fully addressed.
Prof. Osodeke, in a communique, added that the issues in dispute with the Federal Government were not well addressed, but lauded the intervention of the National Assembly , through the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila who he noted engaged in a series of discourses with the union before the decision was made.
Prof. Osodeke said, “While appreciating the commendable efforts of the leadership of the House of Representatives and other patriotic Nigerians who waded into the matter, NEC noted with regrets that the issues in dispute were yet to be satisfactorily addressed.
“However, as a law-abiding union and in deference to appeals by President Muhammadu Buhari and in recognition of the efforts of Hon. Gbajabiamila, and other well-meaning Nigerians, ASUU NEC resolved to suspend the strike action embarked upon on February 14, 2022.
“Consequently, all members of ASUU are hereby directed to resume all services hitherto withdrawn with effect from 12:01 on Friday, October 14, 2022.”
Meanwhile,some university students and their parents who spoke with The Reporters in Lokoja on the suspension of the strike described the development as a big relief.
Malam Adagiri Mohammed, who said that he has two children in the university caught up in the cobweb of the strike said,” indeed, this is a welcome development in many respects.
” I have been praying and hoping to see that this strike is suspended, and it pleases God that the storm is over.
“All the stakeholders in the process that culminated in the suspension of the strike should be commended.
“I want to appeal to the governnent and the ASUU to always factor in the implication of academic strike on the students, quality of educatuon and the future of Nigeria,since educatuon is the bedrock of any country,”he said.
Contributing, a 400-level engineering student, Ahmadu Bello University,ABU, Zaria,Tony Nweke, described the suspension of the strike, for him and thousands of his colleagues, as a bitter pill they swallowed with a lot of difficulty.
“Yes, ASUU has suspended the strike and we are all happy for it, but the 8-month strike is a loss in the academic calendar which will be difficult to be recovered from.
“We pray that all the issues that led to the strike in the first place, will be laid to rest to avoidable disruption of academic activities in the university system and other tertiary institutions in the country.
Breaking/The Reporters.
