Strike disrupts our exams— UNICAL students By Our Reporters
ACADEMICS activities were, yesterday, literally paralysed across universities
in the country as the one-week warning strike embarked on by the Academic Staff
Union of Universities, ASUU entered its second day. Lagos
At the University of Lagos, (UNILAG) and Lagos State
University, (LASU), there were full compliance on the directives from ASUU, as
lecturers in both institutions boycotted lectures. Vanguard visits to the two
campuses at Akoka and Ojo revealed that both lecturers and students were not in
the classes, and many students seized the opportunity of the strike to travel
home. At UNILAG, some of the students were found at the institution’s sport
complex engaging in sport activities, while few others were studying under
trees and in some class rooms.
In Ogun, the situation was the same at Olabisi Onabanjo
University, Ago-Iwoye, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and Tai
Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode as lecturers obeyed the one-week warning
strike by ASUU. Many students were stranded as a result of the failure of the
lecturers in the universities to resume work. At TASUED, students were allowed
into the premises, but did not receive lectures.
At OOU, most of the students did not bother to go for
lectures as they were said to have been warned against coming following the
warning strike order. For FUNAAB, the strike coincided with the school’s one
week lecture break, with many students already staying away from the campus to
observe the lecture week break.
However, Vanguard gathered that few students that wanted to
enter the campus were barred from entering by ASUU. Some students who spoke
with our correspondent lamented that the strike would further worsen their
plight as they had suffered from long breaks due to strikes and other sundry
issues in their various schools.
A student of FUNAAB who pleaded anonymity said the school
was planning to commence exams next week and they were afraid that the strike
would jeopardise the exam. Cross River: The usual bustling environment in the
University of Calabar was yesterday desolate as the students stayed away from
school following the one week warning strike by university lecturers.
Not only were students affected by the strike, the buses and
taxis that usually wait at the main gate of the school to ferry students to the
various departments were not in their usual positions while those in the
hostels carried students out of the school to the town. Kindness Ojong, a
Philosophy student told Vanguard, “We were in the middle of the examination
before the strike started.
We hope when they resume they will help us complete the
examination before embarking on total strike, if that will happen.” Owerri:
Academic activities in Imo State University, IMSU, and Federal University of
Technology, FUTO, all in Owerri, have been grounded as the popular lecture
theatres were empty. All the students who spoke to Vanguard in the respective
institutions, appealed to government to dialogue with ASUU and resolve the
problems amicably. “I am honestly sick and tired of the periodic breaks in my
school’s academic calendar.
Government should please dialogue with ASUU and save us from
this nagging problem,” a female Sociology student lamented. Benue: ASUU, at
both the Benue State University, BSU and the Federal University of Agriculture,
Makurdi, FUAM, observed the one week warning strike called by the Union. During
Vanguard’s visit, lecturers were not seen in any of the classes, while leaders
of the aggrieved union were seen patrolling the campuses to ensure strict
enforcement.
Collective decision Contacted, the branch chairman ASUU-BSU,
Dr. David Ikonni, said members had complied with the directive of the national
body to down tools. Ikonni said, “yes we are on a one week strike in line with
our collective decision in order to call the attention of the government to its
failure to implement agreements reached way back in 2009.” Enugu: The one-week
warning strike embarked upon by ASUU to press home their demands for better
remuneration and enhanced academic environment, has grounded universities in
Enugu State.
A senior lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Enugu
Campus, UNEC, told our correspondent, yesterday, that they were informed about
the strike “this morning.” The senior lecturer who would not want his name in
print said the strike was overdue because their demand has been neglected for
too long. Niger State: At the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger
State, lecturers observed the strike.
When our correspondent visited the Bosso temporary and Gidan
Kwanu permanent sites yesterday, both students and lecturers were seen in the
two campuses but without lectures. Many of the lecturers from our findings have
stopped coming for lectures since Tuesday, while those who were seen in the two
campuses kept away from classes while the students were also seen in groups
discussing their plight. Kano: Academic Staff of Bayero University, Kano, Kano
State University and Northwest University, Kano, have withdrawn from their duty
post as the warning strike entered day two nationwide.
Although, the three tertiary institutions have just finished
the 2015/2016 session, but the post graduate students are billed to commence
their examinations, November 22. Reports across the institutions confirmed that
activities were halted in most of the faculties and departments as staff stayed
away from their offices. The week long warning strike has raised apprehension
among the 2015/2016 graduating students who are yet to complete their projects
as the temporary hiccups may snowball to spill over.
Anambra: At Awka, the situation was the same as academic
activities were on hold at government –owned universities and Chukwuemeka
Odumegwu Ojukwu University owned by the Anambra state government. Enugu: University
of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, also obeyed the one week strike as academic activities
were suspended on campus. The ASUU Chairman, UNN chapter, Dr Ifeanyichukwu
Abada ordered members of the union to proceed on the warning strike. Rivers:
The strike was effective at the Rivers State University of Science and
Technology, Port Harcourt as there were no lecture for students.
However, a lecturer from University of Port Harcourt who did
not want his name in print said the strike will not achieve anything substantial
because the Nigerian political leadership had never been positively responsive
to agitation from the education sectors. Bayelsa: The usually busy campus of
the Bayelsa owned Niger Delta University yesterday recorded lull in activities
following the decision of the institution chapter of ASUU to join in the strike
called by the national body.
The strike action had crippled academic activities at the
institutions forcing the students to leave for home. Benin: The University of
Benin (UNIBEN) and the Edo State owned Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma were not
left out in compliance to the ASUU directives as lecturers and students vacated
classrooms. Though students were seen on campus but the classes were under lock
and key as ASUU leaders in the university patrol the classes to ensure
compliance. Gombe: It was also a full compliance from the Academic Staff Union
of Universities (ASUU), Gombe State University (GSU) chapter. The striking
lecturers however called on the Federal and state governments to take advantage
of the period and address the issues that led to the strike in order to make
for free flow of the system.
Osun: At the University of Ibadan,some students who were
skeptical of the effectiveness of the strike turned up for lectures but they
did not see any lecturer to see them. Some of them were on the football pitch
and lawn tennis courts playing. Speaking with the ASUU-LASU Chair, Dr Isaac
Oyewunmi at the Union’s secretariat, he reiterated that the seven days warning
strike will be total, adding, ‘’if the Federal Government fails to accede to
ASUU demands within this seven days warning strike, we shall have no option
than to proceed on definite strike.
He said that several moves made by ASUU to reach the Federal
Government through the Minister of Education to address the lingering Federal
Government /ASUU 2009 Agreement proved abortive. “Thus far as you can see, the
ASUU-LASU chapter has fully complied to observe the warning strike,” the said.
He said: ‘’Its unfounded that the enormity of the implications of the economic
recession can push people to say all sort of things, but the truth is that ASUU
can not be part of this government.
‘’I did not appoint the government, but if you ask of my
opinion regarding education, I will say, we are next to no other nation. ‘’If
our budget allocation to education is still 6%, as a stakeholders in a
university, I am more than disappointed. ‘’We are on warning strike, we are
neither here nor there. Before we got to this point, we had tarried for
slightly over a year to reach out to the government to avert this strike.
Source:Vanguard
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