The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Osodeke, has turned down an intervention fund by Brekete Family, a reality television and radio programme focusing on human rights issues, to end the strike.
ASUU had on February 14 declared a one-month warning strike to protest the non-implementation of its demands by the federal government.
But on March 14, the union extended the action by eight weeks, citing the government’s failure to fully address its demands.
The union thereafter extended the strike by another 12 weeks.
Osodeke said the extension is aimed at giving the government more time to satisfactorily resolve the issues.
There have been concerns over the lingering strike with many prominent figures calling ASUU and the government to address the issue.
Osedeke and his team were invited on Saturday morning to the radio show by its host, Ahmad Isah, popularly known as Ordinary President, to explain to Nigerians why the union is still on strike.
Isah also said he had set up a special intervention bank account domiciled in TAJ Bank to raise funds for the union and also publicly showed N50 million cash donated by Udom Emmanuel, governor of Akwa Ibom state.
Immediately the money was displayed, the ASUU president reportedly expressed displeasure, rejecting the offer. Isah was then said to have threatened to discontinue the intervention.
ASUU is demanding the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solutions (UTAS) as a payment platform for its members and the conclusion and implementation of the renegotiated 2009 agreement the encompasses the welfare packages for its members.
Other demands by the union include the revitalisation fund for universities and the release of white papers on the visitation panel to universities last year.
