ASUU STRIKE: Majority of State-Owned Varsities Remain Closed As Few Reopen

The majority of state-owned universities in Nigeria have remain on strike, as the ASUU branches in the varsities vowed not to return to the classroom following the federal government’s failure to successfully negotiate with the national body of the union.

However, very few state owned universities have pulled out of ASUU as they couldn’t see reasons why students would not return to school after six months of the industrial action.

As the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) enters its 195 days some state universities have pulled out.

The universities, according to The Punch, include:

Kwara State University

Lagos State University

Osun State University

Kaduna State University, among others

Meanwhile, some state universities have also just announced resumption amid the ongoing strike.

Ekiti State University

The management of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, August 24, directed all newly-admitted students for 2021/2022 academic session to resume on Monday for screening, registration and orientation programme.

Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH)

Similarly, the management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo state, recently announced resumption, indicating it has pulled out of the ASUU strike.

The institution’s registrar, Dr Kayode Ogunleye, in a circular entitled “Release to Staff and Students: Continuation of the First Semester of the 2021/2022 Academic Session,” announced Thursday, August 18, as the date for resumption.

It was, however, gathered that the ASUU branch in the university refused to resume, Leadership reported.

State universities that are still on strike

The majority of state-owned universities remain on strike, as the ASUU branches in the varsities vowed not to return to the classroom following the federal government’s failure to successfully negotiate with the national body of the union.

The Punch reported that chairpersons of ASUU in the affected state universities described as “ignorant” calls for the suspension of the strike in state-owned universities.

Such universities include:

Gombe State University,

Olabisi Onabanjo University,

Tai-Solarin University of Education,

Ogun state Adekunle Ajasin University,

Ondo State Bauchi State University,

Benue State University,

Ibrahim Babaginda University,

Niger Yusuf Maitama Sule University,

Imo State University,

Nasarawa State University,

Abia State University,

Kano State University of Technology,

Kebbi State University,

Sokoto State University among others.

ASUU vows to punish universities that pulled out of strike

Meanwhile, ASUU has threatened to query universities that have failed to comply with its decision to remain on strike while negotiations with the federal government continue, Daily Trust reported.

Legit.ng gathers that ASUU president, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, said this in a recent interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

“We will punish those who have pulled out from our ongoing strike the appropriate way.

“We will ensure to query them and we will follow it up the appropriate way. We have even queried some of them in accordance with the union,” Osodeke said.

ASUU’s demands include funding for the revitalisation of public universities, Earned Academic Allowances, use of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and promotion arrears.