ASUU has declared an indefinite strike.

A complete and indefinite strike has been called by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

According to The PUNCH, the ASUU National Executive Council would convene on Sunday to make a decision over the government's indifference to the needs and predicament of professors.

In the meantime, a meeting between ASUU executives and the Nimi Briggs committee of the Federal Government on August 16, 2022, resulted in impasse.

In a statement titled "ASUU strikes are to save public universities" and signed by ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said NEC observed with regret that the union had experienced a lot of deceit at the highest level in the last five and a half years. It also claimed that the FG engaged ASUU in fruitless and endless negotiation without a display of utmost fidelity.

It stated: "In light of the foregoing, and after careful consideration of the government's response to the resolution of February 14, 2022, to date, NEC judged that the union's requests had not been effectively met. As a result, NEC decided to change the roll-over strike into a comprehensive, total, and indefinite strike action, which will start at midnight on August 29, 2022. "NEC acknowledges with appreciation past and current efforts by eminent Nigerians and groups to mediate in the lingering crisis. As always, our union is willing to consider reasonable engagements. ASUU is still committed to fully implementing the 23 December 2020 Memorandum of Action in order to quickly restore labour peace in Nigeria's public universities.

"NEC underlined with anguish its concerns for Nigerian students who are also our wards and foster children," it continued, denouncing the government's apparent indifference to their suffering. Our universities would never have been closed for a single day if it had been in our power.

After the Federal Government rejected some of ASUU's demands, including the release of funds for university revitalization, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, release of earned allowances for university lecturers, and deployment of the UTAS payment platform for the payment of salaries and allowances of university lecturers, ASUU began its ongoing strike on February 14, 2022.

PUNCH