Do You Think The Government Is Joking?-Okupe

The Presidency yesterday accused the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU of treachery, warning the university lecturers not to dare the resolve of government to carry out its threat to sack them if they failed to resume.

According to the Presidency, ASUU leaders have gone contrary to the desire of majority of their chapters who have voted and agreed to end the strike because of the personal intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan. Addressing Journalists yesterday in Abuja, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe said that ASUU leadership came into negotiation with a mindset that betrayed what he termed, lack of understanding that the nation and the government were a continuum.

Asked whether the Federal Government can fill the vacancies if the lecturers were indeed sacked, he retorted: “Do you think the government is joking?”

Okupe who noted that the 13-hour meeting Jonathan held with ASUU ended with a definite agreement and resolutions acceptable to the ASUU leadership, however stressed that the leadership of ASUU was expected to consult with its members nationwide and report back to government within one week.

“The ASUU leadership rather than take its responsibility seriously, wasted seven days before scheduling a meeting. When the meeting eventually held the leadership decided to thwart and undemocratically override the expressed will of majority of its chapters to call off the strike. This action is contrary to established practice and procedure of any democratic labour institution, which ASUU is expected to be,” Okupe said.