The National Strike Coordinating Committee, NSCC, will today meet in
Akure, Ondo State capital to review the ongoing strike of the Academic
Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
The group, which is made up of principal officers and Zonal
Coordinators of the Union would during the meeting discuss the way
forward for the protesting lecturers.
A close insider who declined anonymity told Saturday Vanguard that
there would also be a situation report including the details of the
meeting ASUU had with the Federal government last week Friday.
He said,”We are meeting tomorrow. Tomorrow is arrival. Our Principal
officers and Zonal Coordinators met with government last week Friday,
one week today, so we want to discus the outcome of the meeting, after
that, we will now meet.”
However, the source added that ASUU was not under any pressure to
call off the strike despite what it tagged ‘sponsored protests and
rallies’ against the Union.
His words, “There is no pressure on us. We look at things objectively
and remember that even me, as I am talking, cannot suspend the strike.
“We have to get inputs from the branches. That is why our strike is
always very tight, because before we declared the strike, we had
collected inputs from all branch officers in the universities in
Nigeria; we collated it, discussed it extensively for two days before we
declared the strike.
“And if there is any offer made by government, we have to look at it;
that is the principal officers, ten of them in number, the zonal
coordinators who take over functions of NEC during the strike. They will
look at what government has offered, brief us the branch chair persons,
then it is at this point we will now know whether to convene an
emergency NEC to look at it holistically.
“By the time they are briefing us, they will also ask us to brief our
committee members and take the issue to the congress. It is not a one
man show.
Speaking further, the competent insider disclosed that during strike
situation, the National Strike Coordinating Committee, comprising
principal officers and zonal coordinators always take over the functions
of NEC, adding that, “every single week, the zonal coordinators will
take the information to the various branches who will now take the
information to the congress. Collating information from congress, the
branch chairman will take it back to the zonal coordinator, the zonal
coordinator takes it back to NSCC. The reason is that NEC has the larger
component, we are many.”
He said that the reason behind allowing the smaller number of officers to meet during strike situation was to cut cost.
“Why NEC cannot meet during the strike is because of cost. We are more in number. In NEC we have over 100 people, but NSCC will be between 10 and 20, so it is manageable. We have a channel of communication.”
Meanwhile, efforts made to reach the National President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Faggae were abortive as he was out of reach.
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