Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday said it would resist any effort by the federal government to turn intellectuals to slaves of irresponsible leadership and sacrifice her members’ welfare.
It declared that lecturers in Nigerian public universities had been using their blood to run universities and sustain it.
The chairman of ASUU, University of Ibadan chapter, Professor Ayo Akinwole, said all chapters of the union which started the over six-month-old strike were intact and resolute to get what public universities need to survive and compete globally from the federal government.
He urged Nigerians to disregard the lies of the government, saying it is far from meeting any of the union’s seven demands.
According to the ASUU boss, the union gave 14-month strike notice to the federal government before commencing it in 2022, adding that even the efforts of the Nigerian interreligious council in 2021 yielded no results before the union was forced to declare the strike on February 14, 2022.
Akinwole disclosed that the N1 trillion for revitalisation of universities was not for lecturers in public universities, adding that the amount was arrived at by the federal government through her NEEDS Assessment Report on the level of decay in Nigerian public universities.
“Lecturers retain Nigerian public universities with their blood. But it is right for Nigerians to say they should die on the job. I am saying they owe us over eight years verified earned academic allowances. Is it only ASUU that is on strike?” he said.