ASUU President Rejects Berekete Family’s N50m Fund To End Strike

Emmanuel Osodeke, president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has rejected an intervention fund from Brekete Family, a reality television and radio programme focusing on human rights issues, to end its protracted strike action.

ASUU had on February 14 declared a one-month warning strike to protest the non-implementation of its demands by the federal government. 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, meaning that students could lose yet another academic year.

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.

The ASUU president 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, according to Daily Trust report.

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.

Some Nigerians who phoned in during the programme also reportedly described ASUU as ”insensitive