President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been asked to treat academics in the country with ‘utmost respect’.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which made this known in a statement also advised the former Lagos State governor to ensure that university education becomes a priority, while urging the incoming government not to emulate President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
The Chairman of ASUU, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, who is also a member of the National Executive Council of ASUU, Prof. Gbolahan Bolarin, while speaking noted that the first thing that one would expect from the next President was that university education must be a priority.
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He said, “The first thing that one would expect from the next President is that university education must be a priority. No one should treat university education system with disdain that would make our students to stay at home for eight months because of governance failure.
“He cannot afford to treat academics like they are not humans the way the President is treating us.”
ASUU had on February 14, 2022, embarked on strike over previous agreements yet to be implemented by the government.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, after what he described as “failed negotiations” dragged the striking lecturers before the National Industrial Court.
The court, on September 21, ordered ASUU to call off the strike and resume duty with immediate effect.
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ASUU had appealed the judgement but the Appeal Court also handed down a similar order, asking the striking lecturers to resume academic activities as declared in the earlier judgement and the strike was finally suspended on October 14, 2022.
However, during the strike, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government vowed to sustain its No work, No-pay policy in a bid to force the union back to class.
