On Monday, the University Academic Staff Union, Benin Zone, urged Nigerians to join the body in saving the country’s dying university system.
Benin Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Fred Esumeh, during a press briefing at ASUU Secretariat, University of Benin, Edo State, called on Nigerians to stand up and join the union to save this that remains of the country’s university system.
This, he said, would increase the body’s effort to reposition universities at a globally competitive level that would be able to produce the manpower needed to kick-start the re-emergence of a technology-driven country.
He said, “We call on all well-meaning Nigerians, students, workers and civil society organizations to wake up and join ASUU in saving the dying university system.
“This will help reposition universities to be globally competitive and capable of producing the workforce needed to jump-start the country’s re-emergence.
“On February 14, 2022, ASUU, after more than a calendar year of exploring all available and legitimate means in its efforts to compel the Federal Government to honor the terms of the Memorandum of Action it signed with Union in December 2020, was left with no choice but to declare a four-week strike.
“But at the expiration of the four weeks when the government gave the impression that it needed more time to resolve the issues at stake, the ASUU extended the strike for another eight weeks to give the federal government more enough time to completely settle the union’s patriotic claim.
“Government officials continue to gamble with the future of our children, students, and nation, so that 57 days after leaving the institutions, the resolution of key outstanding issues from the rollout of the Academic Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and the signing and implementation and the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement remains at the level of mere proposals, empty and vain assurances.Yet these are issues that could have been adequately resolved in a matter of weeks. by any well-intentioned and serious government,” he said.
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