MEMEBERS of the  Academic  Staff Union of Univeristies (ASUU) on Monday, in Enugu, staged  a  peaceful demonstration  over the continued delay by the South-East governors in implementing the re-negotiated agreement which took efect  from July  1, 2009.

The issues re-negotiated were conditions of service in Nigerian universities, funding of Nigerian universities, univeristy autonomy and academic freedom, and other matters connected with running the universities.

But if not for a team of armed policemen,  who prevented the angry lecturers from marching to Government House, Enugu, where they had scheduled to formally present their  griviances to the Chairman of South- East Governors’ Forum, Mr Peter Obi, through the Enugu State governor,  Mr. Sullivan Chime, the protesters  would have gone beyond the Enugu campus of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).

The universitiy teachers in their academic gowns marched to the main entrance to the Enugu campus and were told  by the security operatives to carry out their action within the campus environment.

At this point, the protesters began their solidarity songs. “South-East good people,  bad leaders” rented the air.

Some of the placards carried by the striking leactures  read: “South-East Governors lack Education Consciousness,” “State universities  started first in South-East but today they are dying”, “South- East Governors Release 20% of security votes for eduaction “, “South-East Governors Stop paying lip service to education.

Addressing newsmen later, the Chairman of the  Strike Coordinating Committee in the South-East State Universities, Dr Victor Emmanuel Osodeke, said that it was disheartnening that governors of South-East zone, called on the Federal Government not to commit state university authorities in the agrement, wondering if there were parallel Nigerian University Commissin or ASUU in the country.