The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has announced that it would on Wednesday, mobilise members of its union to embark on strike and mass action to force the Federal Government to revert the pump price from N145 to N86.50.
This is contained in a letter dispatched to members of the congress nationwide by the National President of the Union, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, and read at the University of Ibadan Chapter on Tuesday by its Chairman, Dr Deji Omole.
The recent development is coming barely hours after the National Industrial Court (NIC) had passed a judgment, preventing the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) from embarking on a nationwide industrial action billed for tomorrow.
The letter made it clear that the union would mobilise members to get ready for mass resistance to what they called the obnoxious and callous policy of fuel price increment.
The letter read: “Increase in Pump price of Premium Motor Spirit to N145 per litre: Proposal for Joint Action with NLC stated that ASUU members are called upon to according to our Union’s principles, fully respect Article 2 of the Constitution of ASUU; that our Union and members shall work for the protection and advancement of the socio-economic interests of the nation. Branch Chairpersons are to conduct emergency congress meetings on Tuesday 17 May 2016 to mobilise our members for the action commencing on Wednesday. All branches of ASUU nationwide are to comply”
Ogunyemi anchored the position on “delayed, partially paid and in most cases unpaid salaries for a number of months by state, federal and local governments, disguised retrenchment of workers, especially by State Governments, in the name of verification exercise and endless hunt for ghost workers and heavy taxation”.
Omole equally stated that the policy of subsidy removal was the most criminal ambush from the Mohammadu Buhari-led federal government to empower the rich and cripple the poor.