ASUU strike looms as union blasts FG over agreement

Universities in Nigeria are under threat of a shut-down again as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) laments the Federal Government’s failure to release the sum of N1.3 trillion meant for the revitalisation of the nation’s universities.

The FG agreed to release the money over a period of five years which led to the suspension of the over five month old strike embarked by the union on December 17th, 2013.

About N200 billion was released to the universities in 2013, while N220 billion was agreed to be released in each of the four remaining years.

The National President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagge, who spoke on the issue in Ibadan said that since the release of the first batch of funds, no money was released in 2014 while a quarter of 2015 has passed with nothing from the government.

He lamented that the major reason for going on frequent strike in 21 years was because government failed to honour the agreements it freely signed with the union.

Fagge therefore called on the federal government to uphold their own end of the bargain to avoid plunging the universities in the nation into further crisis.