By Gabriel Dike, Lagos
Lecturers at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and University of Benin (UNIBEN) on Tuesday debunked the insinuations that they pulled out of the ongoing indefinite strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
In a separate statement made available to Daily Sun, the branch chairmen of ASUU UNILAG and UNIBEN, Dr Dele Ashiru and Dr Ray Chikogu, both denied backing out of the strike ratified by the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union.
Dr Ashiru said the attention of the leadership was drawn to fake news purporting that the UNILAG chapter for the first time voted for the suspension of the strike.
His words: “This is to inform the general public that the strike in UNILAG is still in force and there is no threat to it whatsoever.
ASUU UNILAG is convinced that the strike is a just and patriotic struggle to save the public university system in Nigeria from imminent collapse.”
Ashiru assured members that the union would overcome the struggle, stating, “darkness cannot overshadow light and evil can never trump over good.”
Read also: ASUU plotting to destroy public universities – NANS
In his reaction, the branch chairman of UNIBEN decried the purported back out of the industrial action as false and also the allegation that the university would resume normal academic activities on Monday, September 4.
Chikogu urged the public to disregard the deliberate misinformation, adding, ASUU UNIBEN is irrevocably committed to executing the current strike to its logical conclusion or until such a time that NEC will deem it fit to direct otherwise.”
According to him, the branch is aware that the intelligentsia has a moral obligation to rescue public tertiary education from the grip of retrogressive forces in the corridors of power.
He said the branch is convinced that the retrogressive forces need to be checked for the sake of posterity, warning, “no retreat, no surrender.”
Chikogu added: ‘We have no doubts whatsoever that the verdict of history will be on the side of ASUU.”
Recalled that ASUU on February 14th commenced four weeks strike and twice rolled it over. On Monday, August 29th, NEC asked members to begin a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike until the demands of the union are met by the federal government.