UniAbuja : ASUU Embarks On indefinite Strike Over VC Tussle

From Lateef Taiwo

University of Abuja, UniAbuja, chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has commenced an indefinite strike to press home some demands.
The union announced its decision yesterday after a meeting at the end of its congress held at the permanent site of the school.
Speaking to the at the end of the meeting, UniAbuja chairman of ASUU, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh said the union had resolved to embark on a total and indefinite strike with immediate effect until their demands were by the federal government.
Key among the demands, according to Ugoh, is the choice of the new vice chancellor, which the union said must be in line with the Universities Miscellaneous Provision Act 1993 (as amended).
The current vice chancellor, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah’s tenure is coming to an end next month.
The union alleged that there were surreptitious moves by the federal government to impose a vice chancellor on the institution without due process.
It noted that the position of vice chancellor, as advertised in a national daily on March 15, 2024, was illegal, as the school’s governing council, which is responsible for such role, was sidelined.
Reading the text of the union’s congress, Ugoh noted that the Universities Miscellaneous Provision Act 1993, 2003 and 2012 (Section 3, subsections 1 and 2), respectively placed such role on the university’s governing councils.