FG’s promise of immediate response to our demands unfulfilled — ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has said the Federal Government’s promise of immediate reply to its submission to the committee set up to negotiate with it has not been fulfilled nearly a month after.

The union has also called on well-meaning citizens of the country to take the government to task on how it is handling the running of universities and education generally in the country.

The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said this in a chat with the Vanguard on Tuesday.

This is just as Prof. Nimi Briggs who led the committee set up by the FG to renegotiate the 2009 agreement with ASUU said he would not know what is causing the delay in the government making its stance known on the report submitted to it.

“When we met with the Briggs Committee about a month ago and our submission made, it promised to report back to the government and revert to the union immediately. Up until now, we have not heard anything from their side. It shows the levity with which they take the issue.

“They have stopped our salaries since March, we didn’t die because of that. We only want Nigerians to see this as a battle we must all fight.

That our education system should be adequately funded, facilities improved on and that education as a right should not be taken away from the average citizen.

The ball is in their court and when the right thing is done we will all benefit and our society better for it,” he said.

When contacted on what is causing the delay in the government’s response to ASUU’s demands and government’s stance on the report of his committee, Brigss said, “I don’t know.”

According to him, the committee had concluded its assignment and handed over its report to the appropriate authorities.

“Acting on the report or not is not within our purview. We cannot also force anybody to do anything.

“We have done our assignment.”

Asked what the FG is doing about the report, the Director, Public Affairs, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Ben Goong, said he was not authorized to speak on anything relating to ASUU.

Recall that ASUU has been on strike since February 14 this year.