By Olamide Yinusa
Students’ union bodies comprising: NANS, NAOSS and others have warned members of Non-Academic Staff of of University (NASU), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) branch to put their intending strike action on hold and allow for dialogue.
This was contained in a special Press release on Sunday jointly signed by Comrade Kehinde Damilola Simeon, Chairman NANS, Ogun JCC; Comerade Ekundina Segun Elvis, Deputy Senate President,
NANS National; Comerade Olatunji Adegboye, Coordinator,
NANS Southwest Zone D.; Comrade Ogunrombi Gbemileke, NAOSS Global President and Comrade Okereafor Opeyemi Bestman,
National President,
PSM NIG.
The leadership of the students’ unions said they found the call by NASU for the 7- day protest appalling because according to them such action would inflict immeasurable wound on the psychology of the Nigerian students when various institutions were just resuming and planning to commence lectures after 8 months of ASUU strike which crippled all work and had already traumatized Nigerian students.
They further described such call for industrial action as an uncompassionate directive would only subject the students to further psychological trauma, time wastage and perplexity, adding that it would be inimical to the best service delivery practice they swore to provide, detrimental to their collective future and contradicted everything that NASU stood for.
The unions full statement reads:
“Our attention have been drawn to a publication ordering the Non-academic staff of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta to to embark on a 7-day protest. This untimely directive is coming shortly after the 8 months long ASUU strike was suspended.
Just as University students all over the country are rejoicing to return to campus after months of academic calendar stagnation, we find it appalling that NASU is calling for another strike action.
Industrial action as a result of this uncompassionate directive will only subject the students to further psychological trauma, time wastage and perplexity.
If carried out, this course of action will be inimical to the best service delivery practice they swore to provide, detrimental to our collective future and contradicts everything that NASU stands for.
We believe that most of NASU members are also parents, we therefore implore the union to seek for alternative medium in pursuing their rights and allow common sense to prevail as the students should not be subjected to further distress.
While we recognise their right to seek for redress, we still maintain that choosing to boycott work at this critical period is not only insensitive but also callous. The union should allow work to continue while channeling their grievances through other means so that normalcy and stability can be restored in the university.
If heeded, this singular action will be seen as solidarizing with the students and make us sympathetic to NASU’s cause. However, embarking on actions contrary to the above will consequently pitch the students against the school’s Non-academic staff. This will put us under constraint to engage in direct face off with the culprits.
We must affirm again, that this struggle to emancipate our future from being used as collateral damage isn’t about FUNAABITES alone but has become that of all Ogun State students and by extension that of the South West.
We hereby seriously warn the few bad eggs in NASU to desist from any attempt truncate campus activities as we expect the FUNAAB management to announce resumption plans imminently.
We are willing, able and ready to mobilise massively to stampede this politically motivated action. At no point in time shall we sit and watch our collective future being used to settle scores. This despiteful venture shall be vehemently resisted now and in the future.
Solidarity Forever
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