The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has failed to meet a presidential directive to resolve the five-month-old industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), a development which has prompted the union to extend its strike action by a fresh four weeks.
ASUU took the decision to continue with the strike after its national executives met on Monday 1 August, 2022 in Abuja.
The union announced the extension via a media statement published in facsimile below.
However, the extension did not sit well with some members of ASUU and university students.
A university teacher who does not want his name in print since he was not authorised to speak on behalf of ASUU blamed Adamu for the extension, describing the minister as a “lazy, uncreative sloth who ought to have been sacked from office long ago if only we have an active president”.
The lecturer said: “There is a lot in a name. Just look at the uncreatively named minister, Adamu Adamu. How some lack of imagination could rub off on a child right from its naming ceremony! For two weeks this sloth of a minister cannot work on the Prof. Briggs renegotiated 2009 agreement, which the ASUU National worked with the Briggs committee to reappraise. What is so difficult for this lazy minister to do with the new agreement, present it to the President so that this strike can end? Did you know how brilliantly this minister wrote about education reforms before 2015, before he was appointed minister? Were those articles ghostwritten for him because for seven years now he has not implemented any remarkable reforms in the education sector? It is a shame we don’t have an active president. This deadwood Adamu Adamu ought to have been sacked long ago. He is unfit for purpose.”
Also, university students took to social media to vent their frustration over the extension. Some of them wrote on Twitter:
Ope Adetayo: Nigerian public universities to remain closed for the next four weeks as ASUU approves continuation of strike at their NEC meeting earlier today. By the end of the four weeks, millions of students would have been at home for seven months in a country technically not at war.
Toyosi Godwin: Just like there is Post-NYSC depression and post-graduation depression, there should be a name for the depression caused by ASUU strikes. Being in uni gives a sense of direction. With everything you do, there’s a goal in sight. ASUU strikes come with confusion. It’s depressing.
Chiki of Nation: Omo, ASUU officials are wicked.
Chukwuifo: On a normal ASUU leaders no get Sense. They are busy fighting for what they know they can’t win Why not simple call off strike den two years of school fees instead of being paid into government account should be paid into different school account.. Simple thing una go just do
Aminu Babatunde: But Boss, since everyone know that this government is not serious about the citizens or anything, even himself said that he’s tired already which means whatever is happening in this country he’s very less concerned about it I just wish ASUU could suspend the strike conditionally
Ifeanyichikwu: I will never not feel sick to my stomach whenever I see educated Nigeria making the ASUU strike off to be a fault of the underpaid University staff.
Damilola: With this #ASUU strike, I really feel for Nigerian students right now coz it’s not funny anymore. I wonder how our leaders and decision makers sleep at night knowing fully well the citizens are being subjected to pain!
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