ASUU Strike: Lecturers yet to join industrial action, still waiting for approval

ASUU President says the union is still waiting for approval from its executives before it joins the nationwide strike.

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC has directed all its members to begin a nationwide strike on Thursday, September 27, 2018, but the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU is yet to join the industrial action.

Nigerian lecturers under the umbrella of the Academic Union are members of the National Labour Union and ASUU has earlier threatened to join the strike once the NLC orders the strike to begin.

However, according to Punch, ASUU National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi has on Wednesday, September 26, 2018, said that he could not ask lecturers to join the nationwide industrial action without an approval from the ASUU executives and trustees.

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He said, “we are part of the NLC. We are an affiliate of the NLC. But we are waiting for the final decision and we are consulting. I am also consulting with the ASUU leadership.”

Meanwhile,  lecturers in Imo state have reportedly announced their readiness to join the strike on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 during a  press conference at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra  State.

Pulse also reports that the ASUU's chapter in Lagos at a press briefing at the University of Lagos reportedly rejected the N20bn the Federal Government released on Monday, September 24, 2018, to fund Nigerian Universities.

The union at a press briefing at the University of Lagos, UNILAG on Tuesday, September 25, 2018, rejected the offer describing it as a blackmail.

Ogunyemi also said the union will not back down in its efforts to sanitise the university system in the country, saying the government the should do the needful or the union goes on strike again.

Bauchi Poly will not join the NLC strike

However, the Chairman, of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) Abubakar Tatari-Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi, Bala Mohammed has said that the polytechnic will not join the NLC strike because the labour union did not brief ASUP about the industrial action.

Mohammed said this on Wednesday, September 26, 2018, at a news conference in Bauchi.