ASUU: Money For Transport May Hinder Resumption On Monday, Says Osodeke

The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Emmanuel Osodeke has disclosed that members of the body may find it difficult to obey the court order to resume on Monday in their  respective schools as they do not have "money for transport." 

Osodeke made the disclosure on Sunday while speaking about matters arising from the suspension of the ASUU strike on Channels Television’s 'Sunday Politics'.

According to the ASUU president, in recent times most lecturers live far away from the school campuses, unlike those days when they lived in staff quarters very close as most schools could not provide accommodation for them.

He said since they have not been paid for eight months, it would be difficult for them to afford the transport fares to their respective schools to teach students.

“In schools those days, every lecturer lives on campus and you can trek to your office but these days, many lecturers live 20, 30 kilometres to their offices.

"How will they pay for their transport to work?

“These are the issues we are going to have that the branches will have to deal with.

"We expect the government to pay the money [eighth months salary arrears] so that these people will go back to work while we are negotiating on other issues.”

Confirming the suspension of the strike, he said: “We suspended the strike hoping that the government will do the needful and by tomorrow, if the universities are open, hopefully, the lecturers will go back to work.

“We are resuming because we are obeying an industrial court judgement because the issues have not been fully resolved, no agreement signed."