University of Calabar (Unical) has joined its counterpart in a nationwide strike action.
Daily Post visited the University on Monday and observed that members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had abandoned classes while students were seen roaming the streets in the University.
Sources hinted our correspondent that at the meeting of the Union’s congress held on Thursday, about 500 people who attended the congress voted in support of a total strike and 22 voted for two weeks warning strike, while nine against no strike.
However, a Strike Bulletin No.1 signed and issued by Ogunyemi, ASUU said the strike action was to be total, comprehensive and indefinite action whereby no form of academic activities including teaching, attendance of any meeting, conduct and supervision of any examination at any level, supervision of project or thesis at any level should take place at any of the nation’s universities.
The union recalled that it had to embark on a six month strike between July and December 2013 and the strike was suspended when government signed an MoU with the union. “Of all the items contained in the MoU, only N200bn out of a total of N1.3tr of the Public Universities Revitalisation (Needs Assessment) fund was released.
“The union also embarked on a one week warning strike in November 2016 to press for the implementation of 2013 MoU. However government did not implement the understanding reach between the union and Federal Government base on the intervention by the leadership of Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The National Executive Council, NEC, of ASUU then met at the University of Abuja on August 12 2017 to consider the result of a referendum from all branches in a bid to ascertain ways of convincing government to implement outstanding aspects of the 2009 and the MoU of 2013”.
ASUU further listed the outstanding issues with the Federal Government to include: payment of fractions/non-payment of salaries; non-payment of earned academic allowances, non-release of operational license of NUPEMCO; non implementation of the provisions of the 2014 pension reform act with respect to retired professors and their salaries, removal of universities staff schools from funding by government and funds for the revitalization of public universities.
When Daily Post visited the office of ASUU Chairman, University of Calabar branch, the Chairman, Comrade Tony Eyang was not in the office and refused to pick his calls and when a text message was sent to him, he replied, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow please, thanks.”
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