ASUU Holds Street Rallies In Onitsha And Awka

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Monday held street rallies in Onitsha and Awka, Anambra State, to press home their demand for the implementation of the 2009 agreement the union reached with the Federal Government. The rally at Onitsha was conducted by ASUU members from the Anambra State University, while that of Awka was conducted ASUU members from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. At the Onitsha rally and street march held at Zik’s Roundabout, the Chairman of ASUU of ANSU, Dr. Sylvia Okonkwo, said striking university teachers would not return to the classroom unless the 2009 agreement was executed. She said among other demands, ASUU was asking for an injection of N400bn intervention fund annually into university education over the next three years. She also said ASUU wants the Federal Government to aid state-owned universities, pay lecturers their earned allowances, gradually increase budgetary allocation to education, transfer landed property to universities and make companies operating in Nigeria to set up research and development units.