EBONYI NLC PROTESTS ASUU STRIKE, DEMANDS IMPLEMENTATION OF 2009 AGREEMENT

REPORTER: AMECHI ODO

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to urgently end the lingering strike in the country’s universities by resolving all the contentious issues with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Non Academic Staff Union, (NASU).

The Chairman of NLC in Ebonyi State, Comrade Ikechukwu Nwafor, made the call when he led members of the organised labour on a road march in Abakaliki in solidarity with the striking workers.

Comrade Nwafor, who spoke with journalists at Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium, Abakaliki, accused the Federal Government of negligence, noting that labour unions would no longer watch as students idle about at home while politicians send their children abroad for university education.

‘’And we continue to demand that our government should meet with workers in the universities, our workers in the university have reached agreements with the Federal Government severally and the Federal Government reneged on those agreements.

‘’At this point, we insist that those agreements be met, let workers welfare in the universities be met,’’ Comrade Nwafor said.

The Chairman of ASUU in Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ikwo, Comrade Oguguo Egwu, and his counterpart from Ebonyi State University, Associate Professor Ikechuku Igwenyi, said ASUU would not back down until Federal Government implemented the 2009 Agreement and deployed UTAS as an alternative for IPPIS.

‘’We shall not back down until the Federal Government does the needful, we shall not back down until on the 2009 agreement is implemented, we shall not back down until IPPS is reversed, we shall not back down until UTAS is deployed and implemented in our universities.

‘’It is a mark of irresponsibility for the government to be so insensitive to the plight of Nigerian people, our parents and children because their children are abroad. we have shown a sense of responsibility to emancipate our educational sector and our country from those who want to kill them.

‘’How can you be so insensitive that in five months, our university students are at home, our mandate is denied, we cannot teach our students,’’ he lamented.

Members of the organised labour carried placards with various inscriptions, including “Honour 2009 agreement now” and “Our youths deserve quality education like the children of politicians.”

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU