The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Federal University, FUL, Lokoja, Kogi State, Prof.M .S Audu has said that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU will need to change it’s approach in negotiating with Governnent in order to avert incesssnt strikes as the present approach has become obsolate.
Professor Audu said that the present approach Which had been in use for the past forty years have proven to be ineffective and a new way of negotiation has to be exploited.
“For incessant strike by ASUU to be a thing of the past, there is need for ASUU to change the tactics it has been using for over 40 years without much tangible results”
He was speaking on Wednesday in Lokoja as the Guest Speaker at occassion marking the 50th birthday of the Rector, Kogi state Polytechnic, Lokoja, Dr Salisu Ogbo.
in his paper, titled,”FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA (FGN)-ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES (ASUU) IMBROGLIO: INTERROGATING THE ISSUES AND THE WAY FORWARD”, professor Audu noted that ASUU should inject some dynamism and new ideas in her approaches to issues of the state of the universities and their welfare.
” For the past 45 years, ASUU has adopted the same strategy of agitation for welfare of its members and the state of the universities and the nation.
“In the last 23 years, ASUU has embarked on strike action 16 times. It can be safely said that since the return to democracy in 1999, public universities have been shut down for four years. It takes a normal Bachelor degree programme four years to complete.
He said that parents should wake up to the reality that education is not cheap anywhere in the world and Nigeria is not an exemption.
” Federal Governnent on the other hand should find an appropriate finance options to pound education as the current arrangement does not met UNESCO 20 percent of national budget.” Professor Audu added.