Unending Strike: UNILORIN ASUU Chairman Seeks Parents’ Intervention
The UNILORIN ASUU Chairman Calls for Help from Parents
UNILORIN ASUU Chairman Seeks Parents’ Intervention
Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ilorin Chapter, Prof. Saliu Moyosore Ajao, has once more urged stakeholders, particularly parents, to press the Federal Government to resolve the Union’s ongoing strike, which has resulted in the closure of federal universities across the nation since February 14, 2022.
During an appearance on a radio program in Ilorin on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, Prof. Ajao made the following statement: “It is past time for parents and other organized bodies to put pressure on the Federal Government to give the matter the critically needed attention it is currently receiving.”
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The leader of the union said that even though the case is in court, there is still a lot that can be done to make sure that students who are supposed to be learning return to their campuses to finish, continue, or start their academic programs, depending on the situation.
Prof. Ajao expressed optimism that the Federal Government would swiftly move to end the impasse once and for all when parents voiced their concerns.
The don lamented that university teachers’ salaries are too low in comparison to those of their colleagues in other fields, despite expressing his belief that Nigeria is not too poor to fund the country’s educational system as anticipated.
He went on to say that the Federal Government’s decision to implement the “no work, no pay” policy, which has resulted in the nonpayment of their salaries since February, is not consistent with reality. He explained that staff members of research institutions who have been on strike for more than a year have been receiving their salaries when they are due, whereas “staff of the nation’s moribund refineries that have not refined a drop of oil for a long time are still receiving their pay regullarly
Prof. Ajao made the observation that, despite the fact that members of his union have not been teaching since the strike began, they have faithfully performed other essential academic responsibilities like research and community service.
Consequently, he stated that the government has no reason to withhold lecturers’ pay, arguing that adhering to the “no work, no pay” policy would only delay the industrial dispute’s resolution.
The eminent Professor of Anatomy went on to say that the Union went on strike not only to improve the well-being of its members but also to guarantee that the country’s university system will improve the quality of its services and products.
Prof. Ajao reminded the government and other stakeholders that the quality of the nation’s educational products cannot be better than the system that produces them. He also said that stakeholders should collaborate with the government to make sure that the facilities at the nation’s universities are comparable to those at their international counterparts.
He continued by stating that he and many other members of the striking Union have children and wards who are on strike and that it would be pleasant for the strike to be resolved as soon as possible for the sake of peace and justice.
