Presidency unable to tackle the Controversial Asuu strike - (Angry youths)

The asuu strike heading to
approximately four months is now
reversing to our president Dr Goodluck Abele Jonathan, most students are now blaming Mr president for not been able to
tackle the issue thereby allowing students to waste away in the street roaming about doing all sort of unpredictable things.

Most lecturers are practically angry
because Mr president was once a lecture rhimself and he seems to be quite about this whole issue. In the first place the asuu strike is not just about university upkeep but according to source "since the
Senate are now demanding their pension from the federal government, lecturers
too are now demanding for their salary increments" but news are going round that strike (asuu) is basically for all university maintenance which is not true.

Some citizens are developing hatred for Mr president for not been able to handle most of the situations like this present one, because at the high level, they sit
there all in the name of representing the masses while their main reason is to feding for their huge appetite of holding
what belong to the whole nation to
themselves while the masses wallow and die in pain.

They keep on making empty
promises to students that the
"controversial" strike will soon be over main while nothing is happening all because non of their children are schooling here in the country. But the question I'm asking is, "if they feel that
the educational sector here in Nigeria Is in good hands, why do they send their children to school outside the country.

Read more http://www.oscargist.com/2013/11/president-unable-to-tackle.html?m=1

ASUU Strike: FG/ASUU Must Disclose the 'Hidden Truth'

The National Parent
Teacher Association of Nigeria
(NAPTAN) has demanded that the
Federal Government and the
university lecturers should publish
the "hidden truth" about the 2009
agreement at the heart of the ongoing strike action that entered its 119th day today.
This demand was announced by NAPTAN president Haruna Danjuma after the association's executive council met last
week in Abuja.
"Parents are accusing ASUU of sending away our children [from school] and accusing the government for being carefree with the lives and future of our
children.
"We want the two bodies to tell us the hidden truth of what was agreed in 2009.
The parents are suffering. The students are suffering as well," he said.
Mr. Danjuma also said parents had
thought the strike action would take a few days but expressed disappointment
that "our children have been with us at home for four months, which is very disastrous."
It would be mentioned that more and more politicians, celebrities and activists across the country are losing their respective patience over the ongoing industrial action.

In a recent story, a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Daniel Onwe, has dragged the Federal Government and ASUU, before a Federal High Court, Lagos, over violation of the fundamental right to the dignity of person of the affected students, who have been out of school following the union's strike.

PHOTO: See What Actress Chika Ike Has To Say On The On-Going ASUU Strike

Nollywood actress, Chika Ike took to
her twitter page to share her opinion on the on-going ASUU strike affecting Nigerian Pop universities which started on 1st July, 2013 .

See tweets below

ASUU STRIKE: FG Seek Spiritual Solution To End Face-Off

Senate President David
Mark and the governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam have called on religious leaders to
intervene in the lingering face-off
between the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities. (ASUU) which has resulted in the closure of universities nationwide.

Addressing the 2nd plenary session of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in Otukpo, Benue State yesterday, Senator Mark said the
differences between the federal
government and ASUU required spiritual intervention in order to end the unending imbroglio.
David Mark lamented the plight of the students who have been kept at home and deprived of a stable school calender
because of the on-going ASUU strike.
Also speaking, the Benue State governor, Suswam called for partnership between the church, government and the people in order to fast-track political development and stability in the country, urging the bishops to use the session to. appeal to ASUU to shift ground as the federal government had made reasonable concessions to their demands to give peace a chance and return students to school.

In his welcome address, the President, Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama urged Christians to be loyal to biblical teachings in all their dealings and called for interior purifications among Nigerians adding that with renewed commitment to the task of teaching and sanctifying, Nigeria will overcome her travails.

Students Don’t Want Us To End Strike – ASUU President

The Academic Staff Union of
Universities has said it is continuing
its nationwide strike on the advice of university students.
In a telephone interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, the President
of the union, Dr. Isa Fagge, said students were tired of the incessant industrial actions by the university lecturers due to the Federal Government's failure to
implement the agreement it had with ASUU since 2009.
Fagge said the union had decided to heed the advice of the students to continue the strike until the Federal Government fully implemented the agreement.
"Our students have come out to say they don't want us to call off the strike until the Federal Government answers us, because they don't want us to call off now and later we go back to strike again.
So, we are heeding the advice of our students," he said.
On the complaint by the Federal
Government that it lacked the funds to implement the agreement, Fagge said it was not all about money, noting that government did not need funds to start implementing some parts of the agreement.
"There are issues and agreement they can implement without money. Why don't they begin with those ones?" he asked.
He added that it was unfortunate that the government had pulled out of dialogue with ASUU, stating that the union would not be intimidated.
He said, "Now, government has pullednout of the dialogue. We thought we were the ones going on strike, but now government has also gone on strike."

Last Thursday, university students under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Students reportedly staged a peaceful protest in Ado-Ekiti and flayed the Federal Government for failing to honour the agreement it had with ASUU since 2009.
The students, who were from public
universities, threatened to disrupt
activities of private universities, adding that the government was not bothered about their plight because children of government officials were studying either in private universities or studying overseas.

The university lecturers began an
indefinite strike on July 1 and have been demanding full implementation of theagreement ASUU had with the Federal Government in 2009, which among other things include the UNESCO- recommended 26 per cent budgetary allocation for education. However, the government said it could not implement the agreement, and is seeking re- negotiation.

The Federal Government, last
Wednesday, accused ASUU of being
unrealistic by continuing its nationwide strike and asked it to rethink it's demands, considering other commitments government has.

The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, who gave government's position on the strike when he briefed journalists at the end of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council, said apart from security, education was one of the sectors the government had expended a lot of money on.

Punch

ASUU STRIKE: FG Calls University Lecturers to Be Realistic

The Federal Government on September 4, 2013,
Wednesday, rebuked university lecturers, ASUU, over their
ongoing indefinite strike.
Mr. Labaran Maku, the Minister of
Information, announced the
government's attitude to the strike while speaking to the reporters on September 4, 2013, Wednesday, after the weekly meeting of the Executive Council of the Federation, FEC, in Abuja.
"This country belongs to all of us, if we all insist that every sector problem must be completely solved, we will down tools we
will not work, then the country will stop working," he said.
The Minister of Information also pointed out that if all the sectors of government decide to down their tools until all their problems are solved, the country would shut down.
Mr. Labaran Maku insisted that the
Government implements a 2009
agreement it had with the Union.
"We are partners with ASUU, we are
friends. They are our patriots and we understand the critical role that the universities teachers are doing to create a new society that we are hoping to have.
"But at the same time, this is a reality question that we need to look at and we have to put the nation first " he said.
The Minister also said the Federal
Government has spent a lot on the
development of tertiary education across the country, appealed to the lecturers to have a rethink on its demands by considering the fact that there are many other competing demands from other sectors.
He said outside of security, education is one of the sectors the government had expended a lot of money on.

"I know all of us desire more from the system but the truth is that there are limitations and from the limitations we have, we believe that ASUU really needs to do rethink and ensure that we reopen our universities because really we are feeling the pain of our children being at home and this indeed is completely avoidable," he said.
"Don't forget that in 2010 we announced a 53.4 per cent increase on public
salaries across board which affected all people in the public service that has still left a huge deficit in the annual budget of the country.
"I just want to say that it is unfortunate that our students are still at home. It is very sad because the federal government has done so much in the last three years for education."

ASUU Gives Up

The negotiations between the
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government collapsed again yesterday as the lecturers have pulled out of the Governor Gabriel Suswam-led Committee on Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities.
In a letter detailing its reasons for
withdrawing from the committee, ASUU said that the committee had not made progress on the issues for which it was set up, adding it was not satisfied with the way the N100 billion raised by government to rehabilitate structures in the universities was being managed.
Worse still, ASUU in the letter dated
August 26 and signed by its National President, Dr. Nasir Isa Fagge, accused the Suswam committee of not being, clear on its plans for managing the funds.
It cited the inclusion of a "Project
Administration Fund," even as it queried the manner which funds were allocated to universities slated to benefit from government's intervention.
The letter stated that, "we have also
noted albeit quizzically, that some
N1.975 billion was allocated to the 62nd university called Project Admin Cost.
"We see no justification for allocating an amount more than what is allocated to four universities put together to a bogus Project Admin Cost".
The striking
lecturers who had earlier announced their withdrawal from negotiations with the government, said that until the activities of the Suswam committee are carried out transparently and it's misgivings on the modus operandi of the committee are addressed, ASUU will not get return to the committee.
"In view of the foregoing, ASUU will be unable to continue in the membership of the committee until the issues raised are properly addressed", Fagge stated.

ASUU, FG Fail To Agree On Contentious Issues

THE hope for the re-opening of
universities in the shortest possible
time was dashed Thursday after the
Federal Government constituted
committee chaired by the Benue
State Governor, Hon. Gabriel Suswam in a meeting with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, failed to agree on the contentious issues.

There were expectations that ASUU
could call off the strike after the meeting as the National President of the union
Dr. Nasir Fagge had previously said that calling off the strike was dependent upon what the Federal government would place on the table in respect of the implementation of the 2009 agreement.

ASUU-strike-Cartoon Speaking to
Vanguard on the outcome of the
meeting, Dr. Fagge said, "Well it was inaugural meeting, so naturally nothing much was achieved.

It is just that the chairman (Governor Gabriel Suswan) told us how he wants to carry out the assignment. "And then he said that he thinks we should have a sub- committee that will liaise with TETFund and National Planning Commission to get more information on the technical report that was submitted by the Needs Assessment Committee and on the basis of that, projects will be identified and will now look for the funding."

On the promise he made that after the meeting the union would take a stand depending on what the government
would place on the table, he said,

"There is no change any way because the meeting today is just considering one aspect of the agreement, which is funding. "So what we did today was to have an inaugural meeting on funding and our members nation wide said nothing short of implementation of all aspects of the agreement will make them call off the strike, so like I said whatever meeting we are invited, we will go and give our members information.

like I said today's meeting was an
inaugural meeting nothing much was achieved there order than how to go andbimplementing the Needs Assessment Report which is an aspect of funding aspect of the agreement, so we will wait and see whatever government decides to do with the agreement, we are there."

ASUU Warns Candidates On Post- UTME

The striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned thatnsuccessful candidates at the various 2013 post-UTME examinations to
government owned Universities may not be recognised if offered admission from the exercise.

The union also described as cheap
"political statement" the pronouncement of Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State that the strike would be over on Thursday, insisting that the strike would only be suspended if government implements all the components in the 2009 agreement and the 2012
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Disclosing these in Minna on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Federal University of. Technology, Minna, ASUU chapter, Dr. Abdulfatai Jimoh, said that none of its members would be involved in the conduct the post-UTME for over 3000 candidates slated for Friday and Saturday in the institution.

Jimoh, who was briefing journalists on the level of compliance by his members to the industrial action, warned that "any student admitted through the on-going Post-UTME is on his or her own becausenwe would not recognise or teach such student."

According to him, "if the management goes ahead to conduct the post-UTME, none of the lecturers who are members of ASUU would not participate in the exercise and the students if admitted
would not be recognized by the
lecturers."