oe Igbokwe, Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has alleged that the ongoing strike embarked upon by Nigerian university lecturers is “politically motivated”.
The lecturers, under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), have been on strike since February 14.
Igbokwe, a former spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress in Lagos, also accused the lecturers of working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the ruling APC.
ASUU embarked on strike on February 14 this year following the government’s failure to fulfil agreements it reached with the union.
The ongoing strike revolves around ASUU’s demand for funding for the revitalisation of tertiary institutions. The union wants the government to release N220 billion each year; review NUC 2004 Act to tackle the proliferation of universities; make 26 percent budgetary allocation to the education sector; implement the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), among others.
While the union vowed to embark on the strike until the government fulfils all its demands, the government adopted a ‘no work, no pay’ rule as punishment for the striking university lecturers.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, during a recent press conference in Abuja, said, “We want to end the strike. We are not suspending the strike. You can only end the strike when all the demands have been met.”
Unfortunately, after several negotiations, the union on Monday declared the strike indefinite, saying that it would not end the industrial action until the Nigerian government met all its demands.
Reacting to the strike saga, Igbokwe on his Facebook page wrote that “It is now absolutely clear that ASUU strike is politically motivated.”
“It is now obvious that they are working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“There are deliberate dubious attempts to stop APC, but they will fail,” he alleged.