Yobe University joins ASUU strike, gives reasons

Academic activities for the 2018/2019 academic session are set to be
disrupted in Yobe State University, YSU, following a total compliance
with the nationwide strike by the Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU branch of the university in Damaturu.

The state university, which was to resume on the 19th of November,
2018 with lectures commencing on the 10th of December 2018, as
stipulated in the recently released time table by the directorate of
academic planning of the institution, may now be halted due to the
ongoing strike.

The chairman of the ASUU branch, Mohammed Adamu Gulani, confirmed to
DAILY POST that the academic staff of YSU have fully complied with the
ongoing nationwide strike as directed by the mother union.

"Yes, Yobe State University branch is part of the ongoing ASUU strike.
We are a chartered branch, so we have to join the strike," he said.

Gulani explained that as a chartered branch, they cannot runaway from
their mother union, despite that the university will soon commence the
registration of new and returning students.

On the alleged non-compliance of ASUU strikes previously by the
branch, he debunked the claim, stressing that the branch of the union
since its inception over six years ago has been loyal to the national
body of the union by answering calls for strike.

"Since the inception of our union as a chartered branch, we are fully
complying with strike directives whenever the national body begins a
nationwide strike, even the 2013 strike we fully joined it which
lasted for six months," he recounted.

Gulani disagreed with the notion that it was the state government that
provided all infrastructures in the institution as assumed by some
individuals, noting that a greater percentage of the structures were
provided by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND NEEDS
ASSESSMENT) over the years.

"When you go round the university almost everything is read TETFUND
NEED ASSESSMENT. We know that the state government is doing its
possible best to see that the university survives," the chairman
stated.

He was of the view that the strike action which the YSU branch joined
was in the best interest of its members and the state at large.

In his words, "in 2013 when Federal Government disbursed money to all
Nigerian universities, Yobe State University was included as it has
benefited from that amount and now the Federal Government is still
trying to give out N20 billion, still Yobe State University is going
to enjoy. It is only chartered branches that were given this money."

Gulani however expressed hopes that the government will look into the
demands of the union in good time so that students, particularly in
YSU, would not be denied coming back to the school.

Recall that ASUU has been at loggerheads with the federal government
since the 4th of November, 2018 over what they described as
insensitivity of the federal government to fund ailing Nigerian
universities.