ASUU Not Creative In Resolving Issues – Chijioke Okoli SAN

A senior advocate of Nigeria, Chijioke Okoli, has expressed disappointment over how the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has handled the re-occurring issue of strikes in the country.

Speaking on the ‘State of the Nation: ASUU and Nnamdi Kanu’ during a radio program tagged City Talks with Reuben Abati on Saturday, the SAN said “ASUU supposedly being a citadel of learning has not shown creativity in resolving this problem.”

According to him, the leadership of ASUU has for several years continued to chase shadows and turned the whole situation into a political tactic.

“To whom much is given much is expected, you are saying you are intellectuals and I look at how they’ve been conducting the whole issue and I pick faults in it. They went on strike for 8-month and mid-way you lost the public sympathy”

He, however, advised ASUU not to see strike as an opportunity to take their share of the national cake but should focus on making the universities a “citadel of learning, producing socio-political solutions in the country.”

He said “When I was in the university, over 30 years ago, we were dealing with the ASUU strike, it has been up from that time and up to this moment.

“I expect creativity from ASUU and not doing the same thing over the years and expecting different solutions.

“Some of the demands ASUU are making is because the government has become less legitimate and everyone is talking, ordinarily how can an employee demand to be given cash for service when there is room to make payment into an account, so to me they are chasing shadows “

Recall that the strike by ASUU has crippled all academic activities in all Nigerian public universities since 14 February.

The development has led to agitations among Nigerians and particularly students under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
The lecturers are demanding better pay, improved conditions of service as well better funding for the university system as contained in several agreements it has had with the government.

The failure of the government to implement the agreement led ASUU to declare an initial four-week strike and continued to extend it until 29 August when it extended it indefinitely.

The government referred the dispute to an Industrial court and filed an injunction for the lecturers to suspend their strike while the matter is being heard by the court.

The court granted the order and ordered ASUU to suspend the strike. The union however on 14 October announced the suspension of the 8-month strike and ordered all students to return to school.