ASUU strike has increased prostitution - Group alleges

COALITION of Civil Society
Organizations, Market women and
students have staged a protest with
placards of different inscriptions at the
Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja,
over the continuous strike by the
Academic Staff Union of Universities,
ASUU, alleging that the strike has
increased prostitution in the country.
The group which noted that the strike
was entering the fourth month appealed
to the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC,
the Trade Union Congress, TUC and
appealed to the union to call off the
strike in the interest of Nigerians.
Some of the placards read, "ASUU
please save our young girls from
prostitution, NLC, TUC and NUPENG
mediate now, Stop playing politics with
our future, This ASUU strike has lost
its tactics, ASUU please save our
future."
Though, the group in some of the
placards had accused the striking
university teachers of being selfish and
too rigid in their demands, in what
looked like a contradiction, the groups
also said that the demands were
germane and for the good of the
education system.
Delivering a letter to the NLC President
at the Labour House, the leader of the
protest and Executive Director of
Conscience Nigeria, Comrade Tosin
Adeyanju said that they decided to
embark on the protest to appeal to the
labour leaders to mediate on the
lingering face-off between ASUU and
the Federal Government that had led to
the continuous closure of public
universities in the country.
Comrade Adeyanjul said, "We embarked
on this protest today to further appeal
to all major stakeholders in the Nigeria
project and we deem it fit to come to
the labour house because of the
strategic importance that labour
represents in this country.
"For almost 100 days, our students,
our dependants, our children have been
locked out of our ivory towers and
nothing has changed. We are here to
appeal to the labour leaders in this
country to come and mediate on the
lingering and prolonged ASUU strikes.
"We are not unaware on the germane
and relevant issues raised by ASUU,
there is need for our institutions to be
revitalized, there is need for improved
research, there is need for improved
allowance, there is need for
infrastructural development in ivory
towers, but all over the world no
country has been able to meet the
demands of labour unions 100 per
cent."
"With the information available to us,
we are aware that the federal
government proposed and has given
ASUU a 100 billion initial fund
requested for different issues in the
various universities.
We are aware that ASUU appealed for
more money to be given on the earned
allowance and 30 billion was given for
earned allowance as at today about
130 billion has been given to ASUU."
Receiving the protesters, President of
NLC, Abduwaheed Omar, represented
by the Chief Economist of NLC, Dr.
Peter Ozo'eson said that the labour
leaders had initiated moves by writing
to the Federal government about four
times on how to mediate but
government had not responded to their
letters.