Ben Ogbemudia

A member of the House of Representatives, representing Owan Federal constituency, Professor Julius Ihonvbere has urged the Federal Government to explore all possible measures to open a realistic negotiation with the Academic Staff Union of Universities to shelve the impending strike.

Ihonvbere in a motion titled, ‘’MOTION ON THE URGENT NEED FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DO ALL WITHIN ITS POWERS TO STOP THE IMPENDING ASUU STRIKE’’ noted that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Nigeria is threatening to proceed on another industrial action on a matter that has been on the front burner for so long but remained unresolved by both parties.

He stressed that the Federal Government has not been quite forthcoming, adding that decisive action needed to be taken to put an end to this unavoidable crisis hampering the development of our educational institution.

‘’Aware that the ASUU President has threatened to call out his members across the nation, if all the issues, including those of unpaid academic earned allowances and the universities revitalization fund, are not addressed within a period of three weeks.

‘’Further aware that the future of Nigerian Students once again, will be negatively impacted, if this impending strike by ASUU is not nipped at the bud by the Federal Government”

He reasoned that those incessant strikes had disrupted the academic calendar and contributed significantly to the poor quality of graduates in the country, with far-reaching implications for national development.

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He also acknowledged that strike encourages brain drain, migration of students abroad, and low world rankings of our academic institutions.

He lamented that the Federal Government has since the last strike was called off in December 2020 continued to pass the buck, make excuses and engage in diversions rather than meet the terms of agreement it signed with the Union’’