The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has faulted the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, saying no contentious issue that led to the strike has been resolved.
Adamu had last week claimed that all the major contending issues of the strike have been resolved except the withheld salaries of the striking lecturers.
ASUU in a statement signed by the Bayero University Kano chapter chairperson, Haruna Musa; and his Secretary, Kabiru Haruna Isa, on Tuesday, said the minister’s claims were aimed at misinforming Nigerians about the true status of the industrial action.
“ASUU-BUK vehemently condemns the FG’s mishandling of the protracted industrial dispute that has kept Nigerian universities shut since February 14,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria chapter of the union on Tuesday voted for the indefinite continuation of the ongoing strike until the government meets their demands.
Reading the resolution of the congress, the chairman of ABU-ASUU, Professor Haruna Jibril, said the congress also frowned on how government agents were using propaganda to blackmail the union, despite fighting a genuine cause that would ensure the survival of the public university system.
“Look at how they mischievously told the public that they have met all our demands and that we refused to call off the strike because we insist on receiving our six months’ salary. This is an outright lie. In fact, payment of the backlog of salaries is not part of our core demands.”
From Sani Ibrahim Paki (Kano) & Isa Sa’idu (Zaria)