ASUU strike: NAUS Talks Tough, Gives EBSU Ultimatum To End Academic Activities

National Association of University Students (NAUS) has mandated the management of Ebonyi State University (EBSU) to end every academic activity in the institution.

Specifically, they gave March 31,2022 as deadline for the school to end academic activities or face the consequences.

The association expressed dismay that academic activities were going on in EBSU while Nigeria universities were on strike over the poor state of universities and the condition of lecturers, saying such was no longer acceptable.

Senate President of NAUS Comrade Godwin Obute disclosed this during a press briefing in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital.

He called on EBSU not to continue with the examination fixed for April 11, 2022 as it was planning ,saying the association would not allow that and gave the institution till Thursday to end academic activities in the school.

He said: ”It has come to our notice that the management of EBSU, has refused staff and students join the ongoing national struggle for the revitalization of public universities in Nigeria.

“We have watched with total disgust, the needles infighting between ASUU-EBSU chapter and a certain Divine Mandate Lecturers, as a result of this fight, less than 20% of our students are on campus, receiving lectures and taking continuous assessment, while the remaining 80% are in trenches.

“Our attention was also drawn to a circular from the University management that examination will start on April 11, 2022.

“After due consultations with relevant stakeholders, the National Association of University Students (NAUS), wishes to state as follows:

“That the current suffering by our students in EBSU is completely unacceptable to us. The families of two of our students that died recently, in applied microbiology and guidance &counseling, must be adequately compensated by the management of EBSU. Their deaths could have been avoided were it not for the decision of the management to keep them in classes while others are in trenches.

“If the state government want to disengage Ebonyi state university from the ongoing ASUU strike we’re not against it, but the govt should first increase the monthly subvention being paid to the school to enable them pay up to date workers salaries, allowances and honorarium, if not the school should be allow to participate fully in the ongoing struggles for the revitalization of public universities, because in the end only our students bears the consequence of the needles fight

.“We’re giving the management of EBSU from now till Thursday the 31st of March 2022 to permanently end all academic activities in the school, any attempt to continue academic activities beyond this date will not be accepted by the National Association of University Students (NAUS), &there will be consequences.

“We are calling on the state government to prioritise the security of lives and properties of our students, we will no longer tolerate the unending avoidable death of our students in Ebonyi state