The Academic Staff Union of Universities, yesterday declared that the Wale Babalakin-led committee can’t be trusted to mediate between the union and the federal government on the ongoing strike.
The union’s position is coming as members insisted that their first meeting with the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, was yet to address substantive issues that led to the strike.
ASUU declared total strike over the Buhari-led federal government’s failure to fulfill the elements of the Memorandum of Action it signed with the union in 2017.
Among others , the MoU agreed on the revitalisation and funding of universities, unpaid accumulated and earned academic allowances, release of university staff pension company license..
Addressing journalists after the union’s congress in Ibadan, chairman of the University of Ibadan chapter, Dr. Deji Omole, declared that they would not sit and watch the ruling elite destroy the heritage of the poor which is qualitative public varsity education.
He said, the union could not trust Dr. Wale Babalakin, SAN, who leads the federal government’s team, because he is an interested party pursuing a private university license and will do everything to jeopardise public education funding.
The union chair argued that a situation where some members in the mediation team were pursuing their private university licenses, readily showedthey won’t favour funding of public education.
On claims in some quarters that the strike has some political undertone, he quipped; “how can our strike be political when there are matters that you as government signed into and you failed to fulfil your promises?
“To us, it is the federal government that is being political with the truth by becoming untrustworthy. How can the President and his Vice be asking Nigerian universities to become one of the leading universities of the world without making the same commitments responsive and responsible governments in the world are making to education?
“Our leadership have shown consistent disrespect for agreements and this is why they can no longer be trusted by our union.” .
The members further said their meeting with the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Ngige had barely touched on major issues raised by the union.
