The Kwara State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC joined the National body of the Union to stage a rally to press home the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU on University revitalisation.
The Union members which included NLC, ASUU, NASU, SANU, and other allied Unions carried placards with different inscriptions.
The Kwara State Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Aliyu Isa-Ore said the rally was organised in solidarity with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) members to press home their demands on the need for the Nigerian Government to honour their agreement.
He said the Nigerian Government had signed an agreement with ASUU some years back on University revitalisation and other sundry issues.
Comrade Isa-Ore stated that if the Nigerian Government refuse to heed their demand after the rally, the Union would go on a three-day warning strike.
In their separate remarks, the Chairman of ASUU University of Ilorin, Professor Moyosore Ajao, and the Chairman of the National Association of Academic Technologists Union, Comrade Awolola Femi, commended the NLC for supporting their course.
The Chairperson, University of Ilorin Academic Staff Union of University ( ASUU), Professor Saliu Ajao noted that the University worker’s demands were legitimate.
According to him, the demands of ASUU are long overdue and legitimate to deserve government attention.
” Let the government tell us which of our demands are not legitimate. We have the right to ask for what we deserve.
” Is it our salary that has not increased over the last Thirteen years or our demand for government to make infrastructure available?.
” We are not robots. Treat us like humans and save our children from idleness at home,” he said.
He also explained that the struggle belongs to the entire nation and not ASUU alone.
Ajao also called for the enacting of a law to ban Nigerians from schooling abroad to allow growth in Nigeria’s educational system.
The Chairperson, National Association of Academic Technologist Unilorin branch, Comrade Awolola Femi Paul said” we are also Affiliate member under NLC, they happen to become our parents bodies therefore we are in full support because the government has shown less concern to the happenings in the University system, this struggle is not just for us who are staff of that University it is for our students.
“If you look at the decay status at the University today, you will be surprised that non of this big people allow their children to come to these Universities, if you look at our classrooms, they are delapidated, if you look at our laboratories there is no equipment, there is no chemical to bring out good research, look at our hostels they are down, look at every infrastructure in that University it is down, how can we continue like this, brain drain is happening in the University, all of our good hands are getting out of this country. So we are in full support of this because we are fighting for the future of our children, we are fighting for the future of the youth of this country, we cannot allow things to go down like this, the only thing we can do is to come out in support of our parent bodies”
Confidence Okwuchi
