Ahead of meeting with INEC, ASUU says strike won't be called off if demands are not met

As the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) set to meet with the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) on Friday, January 4, 2019, over corps member's participation in the 2019 elections, ASUU has insisted that the ongoing strike would not be suspended unless the government meets lecturers' demands.

The president of the Union, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi in an interview with Punch said the strike, which is now in its seventh week is in the interest of the country.

ASUU president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi ece-auto-gen

After six meetings none of which yielded a positive result between the government and the union, there have been calls on ASUU to call off the strike in the interest of the nation to enable final year students to start their National Youth Service Corps program and participate in the 2019 elections.

Since Monday, November 5, 2019, Nigerian University undergraduates have been forced to stay at home after ASUU declared an indefinite nationwide strike.

This, therefore, means final students who should be serving in the NYSC by now won't be able to participate in the February and March general elections as ad-hoc electoral officers.

As a result, INEC has recently raised the alarm that the ongoing strike will pose a serious threat to the conduct of the 2019 elections.

NYSC members (File Photo) ece-auto-gen

According to Punch, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye had pleaded with ASUU to suspend the strike in the national interest and for the sake of democracy.

ALSO READ: All the times ASUU has gone on strike since 1999

Okoye said, “The national interest, the interest of our democracy and the reputation of Nigeria demand the immediate resolution of the issues that led to the strike and we so urge. It is next to impossibility for members of the NYSC to provide all the ad hoc staff needs and requirements of the commission and over 70 per cent of the ad hoc staff requirement in some states of the federation is drawn from students of federal tertiary institutions''.

Meanwhile, ASUU president has said that the union also has the interest of the country at heart adding that the union would meet the electoral commission on Friday, January 4, 2018, to rub minds.