Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Anambra state chapter on Tuesday joined the national protest in solidarity to the lingering five months Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU strike.
Chairperson Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Anambra state chapter, Comrade Chinwe Orizu in her address, solicited the support of the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo to intervene in the dispute between the Federal Government (FG) and the unions in the tertiary education subsector.
In her words, “This dispute has manifested in a strike action for the past five months and has come to the huge cost of the students, the university staff, parents, government other strike holders and the entire country.
“Mr. Governor, we are dismayed by the FG’s paralyses and reluctance to take the necessary steps that could lead to the peaceful resolution of the issues in dispute and by extension end the strike.
“We have taken various initiatives to end these strike including writing to the minister of education and also Minister of labour and employment and the presidency,” Orizu revealed.
Chairman Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nnamdi Azikiwe (Unizik) chapter, Comrade Stephen Ufoaroh in an interview with newsmen said the protest is in support of the NLC in other to let the world know that our universities have been closed down for the past five months.
“Government has failed to fulfill the agreement they had with ASUU, we are here to join the protest. We are particularly involved because we are directly affected.
“It is not about ASUU, it is about saving our universities. It is about Nigerians taking back their country. It is about Nigerians fighting for there rights and insisting that education should be funded. Workers in the university system should be paid their salaries and have their entitlements,” Ufoaroh concluded.
Chairperson Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) Comrade Njideka Nwangwu in an interview lamented over the lingering strike.
“The salaries of university workers have remained the same. The funding of the state universities is very poor. We want the funds to be re-enforced. Our take home salaries can no longer take us home.
“We want FG to listen to our cries and do the needful so that our children can go back to school. Let them call for re-negotiation. This is not what we expected. Enough is enough.”
The protesters who came out in their large numbers were seen with different placards chanting solidarity songs.
