ASUU: Leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU) yesterday ....

Leaders of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities ( ASUU) yesterday moved from
Abuja to their respective campuses expecting
crackdown, as the Federal Government has
issued several threats.

President Goodluck Jonathan might no
longer be directly involved in negotiation
with the lecturers: he is angry for the ASUU
leaders’ contempt for the office of the
President, their decision to issue new
conditions and theim being allegedly backed
by some external forces.
After spending almost a week in Abuja in
hopes of resuming talks, the ASUU leaders
were eventually left with no other option
but to go back to their campuses.
A top leader of ASUU said on conditions of
anonymity: “Our leaders have returned to
their campuses. They were disappointed
with the Area Boy or Agbero method
adopted by the Minister.
“The military style of the Minister of State
for Education will only compound the
situation.
“So, we are back to our trenches as it was
the situation during the military era. We
are ready for the worst now. If the
situation becomes uncontrollable, we will
also go underground and resort to guerilla
tactics.”
Meanwhile, a source within the Federal
Government said: “We hope that they will
not overreach their bounds, because what
they have done in the last four months
amounted to economic sabotage.
“If they continue to take the law into their
hands by paralysing activities in the
Universities, we may try them for economic
sabotage. This is also the extreme end the
government may go too.
“Let them study the enabling laws to see
what they have been violating. We are not
yet disposed to wielding the big stick, but if
the government is pushed to the wall, it
will invoke relevant laws to manage the
situation. We are waiting for what they will
do.”
A different source added: “”ll the security
agencies have been directed to protect lives
and property on all the campuses
nationwide, especially in the Universities
that have reopened.
“Union leaders are also under watch to
prevent recourse to self-help, which may
lead to wanton destruction of property.
“The government will not tolerate any
intimidation or harassment, and any violent
union leader risks being arrested. But those
who restrict themselves to the confines of
the law have nothing to fear.”
On Jonathan’s position, a government
source said: “We are trying to insulate the
Office of the President from further
negotiation with ASUU if at all the union
will allow such or there will be room for
such.
“We think relevant ministers and the
Committee of Pro-Chancellors/Vice-
Chancellors should be able to handle the
rest of the talks/negotiation.”
According to investigation, the December 4,
2013 ultimatum given by the Minister of
State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike,
followed the directive of the Presidency.
The government source added: “The
President is angry because he over-indulged
ASUU leaders. It is only in Nigeria you see
the President sitting for 13 hours with
union leaders on any issue and at the end of
the day, there will be no courtesy from the
union.
“While the President was expecting feedback
from ASUU leaders within 72 hours, they
kept him in suspense for two weeks or
more.
“And instead of feedback on where the talks
stopped, ASUU leaders came up with fresh
conditions when even during the
negotiation, they admitted that some of the
clauses in 2009 agreement cannot be
implemented.
“The President is human. He now has every
cause to believe that the strike action seems
to have the backing of external forces
seeking to bring his administration down.
That was why he decided to come down
hard on ASUU, too.”