THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
may be preparing for confrontation with some vice
chancellors whom they described as not
cooperating even though they will spend the
money the union is asking the Federal
Government to release.
Some of the vice chancellors have reportedly been
intimidating lecturers in their institution and have
ordered them back to the classrooms. Some have
reportedly commenced examinations.
ASUU National President Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi
said in an interview in Abuja that the attitude of
some of the vice chancellors was worrisome.
He stressed that the union is prepared to engage
such vice chancellors, when the ongoing strike is
suspended or called off.
He expressed regret over some members of the
union, who choose to betray their conscience by
opting out of the strike.
Ogunyemi added that such members who might
be aggrieved ought to take opportunity of
available internal mechanism for resolving such
crisis, adding that the union would address their
issues at the appropriate time.
Giving three reasons why some members might
have opted out of the strike, Ogunyemi said:
“There are many reasons why some members
have pulled out of the action. In some campuses,
some vice chancellors are so uncooperative even
though they are the ones, who will spend this
money that ASUU is agitating for.
“In some places, some of them will misapply the
fund. That is why you will continue to see crisis
because when we go back, we are going to
engage many vice chancellors. In some state
universities, their governors are playing the
ostrich, pretending to be funding their
universities.
“Today, we call many state universities TETFUND
universities because the bulk of their capital
projects in the last 10 years came from TETFUND
support and lately, the NEEDS assessment grant.
“Governors, who own such universities will be
giving their vice chancellors directive to go and
open the universities. They are just not being
sincere to themselves because they are actually
not doing what is expected of them.
“Another reason is because some of our members
are aggrieved for reasons best known to them.
Some have threatened to pull out of ASUU and go
their own way.
“When you take it on the balance, you find out
that within their inner self, they are not opposed
to what we are asking for because the Earned
Academic Allowances will go to them,
revitalisation fund will go to their universities and
where they have salary shortfall, it will be
refunded to them.â€
source: thenationonlineng.net/asuu-tackle-uncooperative-vice-chancellors/
