The Lagos State Zonal Coordinator of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr Adelaja Odukoya, has stated that the ongoing strike by the union is a sacrifice the union is making to salvage public universities in this country, adding that ASUU will continue to make that sacrifice until the government becomes reasonable.

According to him, “the students, they are also our students; some of them are our wives and husbands. Some of these students you are talking about are about 50 per cent of our members on PhD programmes or on different post-graduate programmes. We are foster parents to the other students who do not fall into these categories. Unlike the government, we are not irresponsible and insensitive to them. What we are doing is because of the students so that their future will be better.

“It is not just about having a degree. The whole idea about the university is universal. When you talk about the university, the standard must be universal, the content must be universal, and we are saying the way the university in the country is presently constituted is not globally competitive, so that the future of those students will be secure and they will not waste their time in our universities. That is the essence of this struggle. So, it is for them and for their future that we must insist that the government must do the right thing and not compromise because of the pain that we feel due to the action of the Federal Government.

“So, the students are equally our children, our members are part of them, our wives are part of them, and the other ones are our foster children. We are part of the critical mass you are referring to as students. We are not strangers to them. They live in our houses and they are part of us and we are part of the same struggle. What we are doing is also in their interest because like I said, university education is global and there is no sense in giving them a degree that is worthless, which the government is trying to do. We say no to that and we will continue to say no to that,” he added.

Speaking on the newly-formed committee set up by ASUU to counter alleged smear campaign against the union, he said the establishment of committees by an organisation is an internal affair of the organization and he will not be discussing the modalities of our committee or any other thing in the public domain.

Speaking on whether there is any plan by ASUU to embrace other means of protest and jettison strike actions in order to protect the public university calendar, he said “the simple response is that strike is the last option of our union. This is an agreement of 2009 we are talking about renegotiating. I am sure you are aware that several times, we have issued press statements on several things we have done. You are also aware that this strike would have been declared way back in December last year, but because we have respect for the intervention of the National Inter-Religious Committee and several other interventions like that.

“So, asking whether ASUU will consider embracing other means of protest, I think ASUU is a strike-hungry and thirsty union, and that is the only option. We go on strike when the government forces us to be on strike. We’ve had three Memoranda of Action; 2017, 2019 and 2020. This shows understanding and patriotism. In the context of this strike, the government itself has set up two renegotiation committees, and the reports have been thrown away by the same government. (Story adapted from The PUNCH)

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