The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has blamed chairman of universities' NEEDS Assessment Committee and governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, for the lingering strike by the union, adding that the governor and his committee did not advise the Federal Government properly.
Briefing newsmen at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, the Calabar Zone of the union, led by Dr. Charles Ononuju, accused Suswam and his committee of trying to blackmail the union but warned that no amount of blackmail or intimidation would stop it from pursuing the implementation of the 2009 FG/ASUU agreement, which was the only way to move the nation's education forward.
"The government should honour the agreement it freely entered into with the union since 2009. ASUU is not making any fresh demands. This is our position and where we stand and shall continue to stand."
Ononuju also attacked Governor Suswam for accusing the union of playing politics with its demands, describing the governor's position as "false, dishonest, calculated to misinform the public and cause disaffection towards the union."
"We hereby call on our members and the Nigerian people to reject this cheap blackmail and continue to stand on the path of truth and social justice. No amount of blackmail will make the union jettison our resolve to get the government to implement the 2009 ASUU/FG Agreement and MoU of January 24, 2012.
"We wish to emphasise strongly here that our struggle has no political undertone as is being falsely and mischievously propagated. Those saying otherwise are economical with the truth," the union said.
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