COVID-19: No plans to reopen Universities — ASUU

By Olubiyi Obasa

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has reiterated that universities will remain closed as the ongoing strike action continues.


The National President of ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, said this during a stakeholder’s meeting at the Union’s Secretariat at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
 
Professor Ogunyemi explained that the federal government has continually failed to fulfill its Memorandum of Action agreed in 2019, insisting that the federal government may trigger another round of crisis should it force ASUU members into the IPPIS Scheme.

He noted that unlike other sectors, nothing has been put in place by the federal government in accordance with the COVID-19 health protocols for reopening of schools adding, “Students’ hostels, lecture rooms and laboratories do not meet standards of schools in other countries,” which he said is part of the reasons for the strike.

“The narrative coming from government quarters does not edify what the university stands for. What they have said about us does not represent what we are doing but because they have polluted us with those undeserving of the job.

“As we speak, IPPIS is recruiting people without subjecting them to due process of employment. They are polluting and diluting the configuration of Academia.

“We will revisit the whole thing after this strike. Any department or faculty where you think due process was not followed in recruiting staff, reject them. We will stand by you.

“The Nigerian project cannot be made possible unless our universities rise to the occasion. Our stakeholders have a duty to listen to all parties.

“The ASUU strike of 2013 that lasted 6 months, we wrote about 59 letters and had 20 meetings but in this ongoing strike we’ve written about four letters and we’ve had few meetings. We’ve met with the Senate President and the Speaker and several ministers, but the only language they understand is strike action,” he said.

Salient Times reports that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had announced that the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Post-UTME) screening for the 2020 admission processes will begin not earlier than September 7, 2020, in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in the country.

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