Anxiety in public varsities as ASUU decides on strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities will today (Monday) take its final decision on whether to shut down the public varsities by embarking on indefinite strike.

ALL NEWS reports that the union had since November 2021 threatened to down tools following the inability of the Federal Government to implement some agreement the two parties entered into in previous years.

ASUU had declared a lecture free day on Monday last week in some of its branches across the country to enable members meet and sensitize students and the general public on the Federal Government’s alleged reluctance in meeting their demands.

Subsequently, members of the union’s National Executive Council have been holding marathon meetings since Saturday to arrive at a decision whether to embark on the industrial action or not.

A source at the University of Abuja told News correspondents that the members of NEC, including ASUU leaders from various public universities, had been in a closed-door meeting at the Ade Ajayi Auditorium in the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

The meeting was, however, relocated to the Tayo Aderinokun lecture hall on Sunday midnight over fear that the auditorium might be bugged by secret government agents.

The union has promised to address a press conference at the end of the meeting which commenced at 12am Monday morning.

Meanwhile, a final year student of the Benue State University, Miss Ene Mathias who spoke with our correspondent from the campus, said anxiety and tension have gripped students.

“We don’t even know what we are up to right now. Some students have even arranged their bags waiting for the big news to be announced while some of us are still praying for the strike to be cancelled.

“Some are actually happy that a strike is looming. They said they want to have some relief after stressful academic activities. But you know how ASUU strike used to be, I don’t want to spend another year in this school”, she lamented.