The Federal University of Technology, Owerri, chapter of the union, on Wednesday, accused the Federal Government of deliberately destroying the country’s educational system.
The union said at a press conference on the campus that the Federal Government was forcing it to shut down all public universities nationwide.
The Chairman, ASUU FUTO, Chinedu Ihejirika, said the Federal Government had consistently failed to honour the Memoranda of Understanding and Memoranda of Action it signed with the union since 2009.
FG, serial defaulter in honouring pacts, says MOUAU ASUU chair
The Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State chapter of ASUU says the Federal Government is a deliberate serial defaulter in terms of honouring agreements.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting of the chapter in Umuahia, on Tuesday, the Chairman, Prof Chike Ugwuene, listed various unresolved grievances the union had with the government, which he noted arose from a 13-year-old ago.
“The Federal Government is a deliberate serial defaulter in terms of honouring its agreements; it is in arrears of several billions of naira in terms of the Nation Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy, NEEDS Assessment funds and the earned academic allowances,” he stated.
The Chairman, ASUU, Owerri Zone, Prof Uzo Onyebinama, and a former Investment Secretary of the union, Charles Ononuju, were at the conference.
The Chairperson of ASSUU in the University of Uyo, Dr Happiness Uduk, has castigated the Federal Government for being adamant to the plights of lecturers.
According to her, the government has remained insensitive, insincere and dubious following it failure to honour the agreement it reached with the union in December 2020.
Members of the union had earlier attended an enlarged meeting with other bodies such as the None Academic Staff Union and Senior Staff Union of Universities, where they hinted of the plan to embark on another round of indefinite.
They also staged a road walk round the campus of the institution to sensitise the public to the impending strike.
Addressing a press conference, Uduk lamented that the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had pushed the union to the point that it had no other option but to embark on an indefinite strike.
