Nigeria, Aug. 26, 2016 – Despite suspending the over four months old strike, members of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) at the Niger Delta University (NDU) have continued to receive knocks from individuals and groups.
On Friday, a group of women under the aegis of Concern Mothers of Forum of Students in NDU. registered their displeasure over what they described as needless strike. While lamenting that they are now under pressure to raise money to renew the house rents of their children, they added that the situation has been pitiable.
The spokesperson for the mothers, Madam Timinipre Iyekoroghe told journalists in Yenagoa that because of the inability of government to pay full salaries, their businesses are also greatly affected.
They berated ASUU for not considering their plights , saying most of them are widows and petty traders who are now left with the option of using their upkeep funds to pay for the fresh rent of their children and feeding allowances too.
Iyekoroghe stated that members of ASUU allowed greed and politics to steal their conscience as it was clear that the strike was for their own aggrandisment. She stated that by their refusal to call off the strike long before now in spite of several plea by the Bayelsa State Government, the leadership of ASUU confirmed to the world that their patronage from the opposition party APC, was real.
She lamented a situation where members of ASUU, are visibly celebrating and boasting that the governor will be remove from office by the election petition tribunal and as such refused to call of their strike action only to do so after their preferred party lost at the tribunal is wicked and devilish.
The group called on the governor to ban ASUU in the University, saying their activities have become counter productive and enimical to society and the development of the state. Some former students of NDU had also recently took a swipe at ASUU and warned them strongly not to embark on any unnecessary industrial action or be ready to face them.
