The atmosphere at University of Abuja remains charged with tension as the Institution’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) branch continues to hold their ground with ongoing strikes, amplifying calls for government intervention.
This is just as the Union expressed regrets over the tenure of former vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, highlighting missed opportunities and controversial decisions during his tenure, which according to them resulted in the ongoing strike.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja at the end of its congress on Tuesday, the Chairman of the ASUU branch, Dr Sylvanus Ugoh said it is ready to engage with the new management of the University, led by Prof. Aisha Maikudi to resolve the strike.
Recall that the Union, on May 2, 2024 embarked on indefinite strike in protest against issues such as violation of its established laws, including appointments and promotions of members of staff in the absence of a governing council, amongst others.
“We are just celebrating the exit of the vice Chancellor that destroyed this university in the last five years. It is a case of desecrating chambers of the Ivory towers.
“In the last five years, University of Abuja experienced onslaught of academic activities. It was really a setback but the good news is that the tenure has ended and so what we are celebrating is to tell the world that we regret having him as the vice Chancellor.
“Before he came on board, university of Abuja was in the ninth position but today university of Abuja is in the 27th position, it was a total failure.”
On the issue of strike, he said; “We didn’t strike because of the vice Chancellor, the strike was led by the five issues that were illegalities. So, as soon as these illegalities are corrected, we will suspend the strike.
“The person overseeing the office of the vice Chancellor Prof. Aisha Maikudi has been part of the player. She knows all the issues so the union is waiting for any day we are invited to interface with the University.
“The issues in contention are issues that could be handled in one day for any person that is willing to solve them. So, I don’t think they are issues that ordinarily could have lasted for more than two weeks.
“But right now, the strike is on and we are still on our comprehensive, total and indefinite strike,” the ASUU chairman stated.
Ugoh further said another issue discussed in the congress was to mobilise its people for a national strike, pending the directive of the national.
Also speaking, the former chairman of the ASUU branch, Dr
Kassim Umar, urged the Federal Government to intervene and save the University of Abuja, while lamenting the policies of the past leadership
“It is our prayer for even our enemy to not witness what we have witnessed under Prof. Na’Allah because he is a kind of vice Chancellor that knows it all and many times we have visited him, national had visited him, zonal visitation, everybody have visited him and at the end of the day he turned everything down.
“But it is our hope that the overseer of the University who is Prof. Maikudi will reason with the needful so that peace will return in this place.
“We are not fighting anybody. We want the system to be okay for Nigerians and for our children but it is quit unfortunate we have experienced this,” he said.