Let Me Clarify: We Did Not Make Fresh Demands – ASUU Leader

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has faulted claims made by the Federal Government that the Union came up with fresh demands in a letter addressed to the FG after the November 4 meeting with the President Goodluck Jonathan.

Speaking at a Channels Television program on Friday, the Chairman of the University of Lagos’ ASUU chapter, Karo Ogbinaka, said that the content of the Union's letter was within the ambience of the agreement earlier reached.
Insted, Ogbinaka insisted, the Government did not act on the agreement reached on November 4.

"They said they will release 200 billion Naira (about 1.3 billion dollars) in 2013 for the funding of universities and we only have few weeks to go and they have not released the money. When it comes to implementation, government is always having problem," he stated.

The Union leader described the FG's one week ultimatum to resume or get the sack as an insincere
statement on the part of the Government.
He noted that as much as students had been affected in the five month strike period, the lecturers had been too.
Ogbinaka went on claiming that the government could not say they lacked finance to fund the agreement, as it was not captured in the budget.

"Was the money given to Golden eaglets after they won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the budget of 2013? "The only problem ASUU has now is that the government is insincere and we are saying that we cannot continue this way," he added.

Dismissing claims that the union was bullying the government, Ogbinaka stated  that a government that cannot do basic things "is no longer a government and should be made to do what it is supposed to do."
ASUU has been on strike since July 1, demanding the FG to implement a 2009 agreement it had with the Union.
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