As millions of Nigerian students, parents, and education stakeholders expect the outcome of a meeting by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, a Twitter account named ‘ASUU chairman’ declared an indefinite strike.
Many news platforms and bloggers also reported that ASUU declared an ‘indefinite strike’ quoting the Twitter handle.
But The PUNCH has found this to be false.
One of the misleading tweets on the handle read, “#ASUU Finally the meeting has ended. Expect an official report. This is against our wish but we have to put the needs of our union first, I announce to you with a heavy heart the commencement of a nationwide strike starting from 14th February till our needs are met.”
Executives of ASUU, including the National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, had confirmed to The PUNCH that the union has no Twitter account.
Circulating image also fake!
Apart from the fake Twitter account, an image is also being circulated online.
The image, mostly shared on WhatsApp, has the image of the former ASUU chairman, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi.
Meanwhile, the current ASUU chairman is Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke.
The caption on the image read, “ASUU update 2022: All universities are suspended from having lectures from14th February”, but officials of ASUU have confirmed that their meeting decision would be announced on Monday.
Contrary to the time displayed on the image -14:27, ASUU had yet to finish its general meeting involving branches and national executives.
VERDICT: ASUU IS YET TO DECLARE STRIKE AS OF 09.40PM ON SUNDAY.
ASUU DEMANDS
The union had expressed grievances over the failure of the Federal Government to fulfill some of the agreements it made as far back as 2009. ASUU had on November 15, 2021, given the federal government a three-week ultimatum over the failure to meet the demands.
The lecturers threatened to embark on another round of industrial action following the alleged “government’s unfaithfulness” in the implementation of the Memorandum of Action it signed with the union, leading to the suspension of the 2020 strike action.
After the union’s National Executive Council meeting at the University of Abuja on November 13 and 14, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, lamented that despite meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, on October 14, 2021, on issues, including funding for revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution; promotion arrears, renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, and the inconsistencies in Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System Payment, none of its demands had been met.
Following the threat, the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, promised that the union would be paid.
A few weeks after, ASUU suspended the planned strike, as N22.1 billion earned allowances were paid to lecturers in federal universities.
On the heels of the union’s renewed agitations, the co-chairmen of the National Inter-religious Council, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar III, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, visited the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), last month, over the lack of implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding the government signed with ASUU in 2009 and others.
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