Strike: Security Agencies Beam Searchlight On ASUU Leaders Nationwide

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on
Sunday alleged threat to the lives of its leaders
nationwide.
The four-month old strike embarked upon by members of
the union took a new dimension when ASUU alleged that
members had been under the siege of security agencies
nationwide.

It was learnt on Sunday that security agencies were
beaming searchlights on the sources of finance of
members of the union nationwide despite the stoppage of
their salaries by the federal government.
Investigations at the University of Ibadan showed that
ASUU executives at the institution went underground
shortly after last Thursday Congress held at the institution
while phones were switched off.
Similarly the secretariat of the union has been deserted
with new security arrangement being put in place.
In a statement issued on the latest development, the
chairman of the University of Ibadan chapter of the union,
Dr Olusegun Ajiboye, said "ASUU strike: Union leaders
go underground."
The ASUU leader alleged that he had received some calls
warning him about his role in the ongoing strike.
Ajiboye who called on the Inspector General of Police to
save the lives of ASUU leaders nationwide said no amount
of threat or clampdown on the union will make them back
down from the strike until public education is saved from
collapse.
According to him, this recent security threat has forced
many ASUU leaders to go underground alleging that
many of their phone numbers have been bugged.
"Apart from the issue of finance, ASUU leaders are now
being trailed all over the place. A majority of the our
union leaders have now gone underground while many
have their telephone lines bugged. Some are now living in
fear of their lives"
Ajiboye who noted that ASUU members are not security
threat to the nation added that as a democratic nation,
citizens are guaranteed freedom of association.
Ajiboye urged the federal government to leave its
leaders alone and implement the agreements it reached
with the union for normalcy to return to university
campuses nationwide.
"The position of ASUU is that Nigeria is a democratic
country and citizens are guaranteed freedom of
association. Members of the union are apprehensive for
the lives of their leaders.
"We urge the government to leave our leaders alone.
Our leaders are our servants, we are their principals,
they report to us on all matters".
Representatives of the union have repeatedly stated that
the strike action would only be called off when the FGN/
ASUU 2009 agreement is implemented by the
government.
The strike, which started 105 days ago, has seen many
meetings between the federal government and
representatives of ASUU end in deadlocks with ASUU
rejecting an offer of N30bn to begin payment of the
earned allowance owed to university lecturers.