ASUU begins warning strike

Bello Gusau, Sokoto - 18.02.2008

The President, Academic Staff Union of Univer-sities (ASUU), Dr Abdullahi Sule Kano, has directed all ASUU branches to embark on a one-week warning strike from today to protest government’s failure to reinstate the sacked 49 lecturers of the University of Ilorin (Unilorin).

“If government can go to prison to free jailed convicts as well as to enter non prosequi in favour of some people, then there is no reason why the sacked Unilorin lecturers will not be forgiven no matter the offence they committed”, he said.

The ASUU president stated this on Sunday while addressing a press conference in Sokoto. He said the union could not wait for another seven years watching its members pursuing the matter at the Supreme Court.

“A case in court lasts between four and seven years and when that is added to the seven years they have already stayed out of their jobs, it will amount to 14 years and by that time almost all the affected lecturers would have died”, he said.

Dr. Sule said the decision to embark on the strike followed the inability of President Umaru Yar’Adua to address the six-point agreement the Federal Government entered with ASUU on June 16, 2007 which included the issue of the sacked Unilorin lecturers.

The ASUU president said if at the end of the warning strike, the government remained indifferent, the union would convene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to decide its next line of action.