ASUU Strike: Senate Intervenes, Urges NANS Not To Disrupt Political Activities

President of the Nigeria Senate, Ahmad Lawan has expressed commitment of the Senate to intervene in the ongoing industrial disharmony between the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and Federal Government od Nigeria.

He stated this while meeting with the leadership of National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Lawan urged the students body not to carry out her threat of disrupting any political party primary to elect candidates for 2023 general elections from holding in Abuja.

The meeting between NANS and the Senate President was facilitated by Bishop (Dr.) Sunday Ndukwo Onuoha to find solution to the prolonged ASUU strike.

Bishop Onuoha, in his briefing said “ASUU embarked on an indefinite strike, as the second round of the eight-week warning strike ended. Since the first strike on February 14 this year, till the present day, other staff unions in the university system, like the unions of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU; National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Allied Institutions, NASU, have joined the train”.

He said further that the negligence in education sector is letting the lives of our young generation waste away, while they watch some of the political-elite do the dance of shame.

President of NANS, Comrade Asefon Sunday told the Senate President, as the number three citizen, to use his good office to besiege President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently resolve the strike embarked upon by ASUU to enable their members go back to classes.

Asefon said as leaders of Nigerian students, they have nothing to tell them to calm them any more, adding that they have decided to move from “consultation or dialogue to confrontation”, by not allowing any political party to hold its convention in Abuja to elect candidates for the2023 general elections.

Lawan recalled that it was theintervention of the Senate in the past when it had sessions with ASUU and the FG that led to ASUU getting N20-30 billion as academic earned allowance.

“I want to be very frank and if anyone finds what I’m going to say not palatable, I’m sorry. The so-called 2009 agreement signed, for me, it is themain cause of problem. That agreement shouldn’t have been signed because there was no way government can provide that kind of resources that the 2009 agreement envisaged. It was not possible. With due respect for those who worked so hard, but eventually hoping to just get ASUU back to class just signed everything like that”.

“The 2009 agreement was not practicable, someone just wanted ASUU back to class”, Lawan said.