The sanity that academic calendar is witnessing in most public universities is under threat as the Academic Staff Union of Universities has said it is prepared for what it called a “mother of all strikes”.
ASUU said the strike would linger until its demands regarding the 2009 agreements with the Federal Government are implemented.
The University of Calabar (Unical) chapter stated this at a news conference on Tuesday in Calabar.
The chapter’s chairman, Dr Peter Ubi, said it was time for the Federal Government to fulfill the lingering agreements conceived to lift the standard of university education in the country.
He said the industrial action would begin once the national body declared same after the Aug. 28 meeting.
Ubi listed the demands to include the re-negotiation of the 2009 agreement, sustainable funding for Nigerian universities, revitalisation of universities.
“The government made promises on these issues, and regrettably, we are here today to inform the Nigerian public that these undisputed issues have not been resolved for several years now.
“ASUU has tried several ways and strategic of resolving the conflict in the education sector.
“Unfortunately, government, in its characteristics, has paid deaf ears to our demands and has constantly pushed our union to embark on strike.
Meanwhile, the Unical chapter has called for a halt for the establishment of private universities in the country.
Commending the government for the halt in establishing federal university, he said extending same to state and private universities would curtail proliferation of universities without standard.
“We are also appealing that the moratorium be extended to private institutions.” he asked
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Federal Government had imposed a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
It also reports that the decision was approved at Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following a presentation by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
NAN reports that the Federal Executive Council, however, approved nine new universities in spite of the freeze.
