Calabar Zone ASUU Set For Strike

The Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, Calabar Zone, comprising universities in Cross River, Akwa Ibom  and Imo states, has resolved to join the impending one week national strike scheduled for 25 September, 20011.

The zonal chapter of the union in a resolution at the end of a one day meeting in Calabar on Tuesday said that after deliberations on a wide range of issues in its 2009 Agreement with the Federal Government including conditions of service for members, funding of education in the country, university autonomy and academic freedom, it observed that the Federal Government has refused or failed to implement several aspects of the Agreement.

The ASUU zone comprising these states said in unequivocal terms that the union had been patient for too long while government had continued to treat the implementation of the 2009 Agreement with utmost levity and dishonor.
 
The union’s statement is contained in a press release signed by Dr C . Ononaju, its zonal coordinator, Dr James Okpiliya, chairman of Uncial chapter of the Union, and Dr Nwachukwu Anyim of the Uniuyo chapter.

The union declared that beginning from midnight 25 September, all branches of the union shall embark on the one week strike.
 
“The warning strike shall be total and this means that all members in the Zone shall withdraw their services during the period of the strike,” ASUU said.

Among issues government has reneged in its agreement with the union to address are: decreasing budgetary allocation to universities in the country, non payment of the responsibility allowance,  and failure to accent to the bill for academics to retire after 70 years.

The union asserted that it took “the National Assembly 48 hours to amend the constitution of the

Federal Republic of Nigeria to pave way for their political interests. This continued show of scorn for Nigerian people and their interests must stop.”

By Emma Una/Calabar