ASUU President Explains Reasons For Strike - Part 1

The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nasir Issa-Fagee has said that the union embarked on the current strike because the Federal Government has only implemented two of the nine issues agreed on since 2009.

Mr Issa-Fagee, who was a guest on Channels Television's breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, said the government did nothing about the agreement until the union went on strike in 2012.

"On 2nd February 2012, the union decided to suspend that strike on the understanding that the Memorandum of Understanding that we signed with the government will be fully implemented within the shortest possible time," he said.

According to Mr Issa-Fagee, the only two items of the agreement that have been implemented are the review of the retirement age of Professors from 65 to 70 and the reinstatement of prematurely dissolved Governing Councils.

"The other issue that mostly has to do with adequate funding for the system for revitalizing of Nigerian Universities have not been met by government," he said.

ASUU had on Monday declared indefinite strike action to compel the Federal Government to implement the agreement reached with the union in October 2009.