UniAbuja students protest against ASUU strike
Students of the University of Abuja on Wednesday morning protested against the industrial action embarked upon by a faction of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the school.
There are two factions of ASUU at the university, one comprising very few top staff of the school aligned with the vice chancellor, Professor James Adelabu; and the other, the “Integrity Group”, comprising 80 per cent of the university’s lecturers.
The school’s Integrity Group faction of ASUU embarked on the strike last Monday, June 02, when students were scheduled to commence their examinations.
The students are demanding an immediate end to the strike, saying they are at the receiving end of the tussle between the school management and the lecturers.
One of the students, Isa Mustapha, told TheCable that the ASUU faction that embarked on the strike is demanding that the vice chancellor accounts for how he spent the money meant for development projects, because many projects in the school are still uncompleted.
“Although, the aim of the strike is noble, but we cannot afford to stay at home anymore,” he said.
A lecturer at the university also told TheCable that many structures at the university are uncompleted, while the laboratories and library are empty.
“We simply want to know where all the money meant for the projects have gone to,” he said.
“We also demand that he renders accounts before he leaves office.”
Adelabu, who will step down as VC on July 1, 2014, had called the bluff of the striking lecturers, saying they were only trying to create an atmosphere of fear for the next VC.
The protesting students blocked the gate of the mini-campus and marched to the staff quarters of the university at Giri to register their dissatisfaction with the lingering strike.
The Governing Council of University of Abuja should as a matter of urgency ask the out- going Vice Chancellor to proceed on terminal leave irrespective of the fact that he has just seventeen (17) days to vacate that position. Some may think that this is not necessary since
he will be leaving the office in a few days from now. It is good this Vice
Chancellor is disgraced out of office because that would serve as deterrent to any person who is misusing office simply because the person believes he has the backing of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
If the Governing Council should act immediately by asking the Vice Chancellor to leave, peace would return to campus and the in-coming Vice Chancellor would start his work on a peaceful atmosphere.
I am convinced that the branch ASUU would resume immediately from this on-going strike if Mr. Vice Chancellor leaves now.