Nigerian University lecturers, under the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Monday began a nationwide indefinite strike. The ASUU National President, Isa Fagge, told journalists of the development at a news conference via telephone at the University of Lagos. He stated that the decision to have the strike was reached at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of ASUU held at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, on Monday.
Mr. Fagge told journalists that the strike, which takes immediate effect, will be comprehensive, total and indefinite. He stated that the action was as a result of the inability of the Federal Government to implement some of the issues contained in a 2009 agreement it had with ASUU.
The unionist stated that the government had also reneged on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it entered into with the union in December 2011.
"We have had several meetings and deliberations to let government understand why these issues must be resolved but it is like the more we meet and deliberate, the messier the issue gets," Fagge stated.
"One of the issues that needed to be addressed was basically that of the Academic earned allowance. This earned allowance, and other issues, had dragged on until government then agreed to write an MOU with the union."
"But as we speak, there has been nothing to show that government was committed to an MOU it also willingly wrote to better the university sector."
"It is in this regard that we are embarking on an indefinite strike," he stated.
Mr. Fagge stated that having waited patiently for the government to swing into action to no avail, the NEC of the union decided to meet, deliberate and come up with the action.