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The Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) in University of Calabar, on Monday
embarked on a three-day warning strike in solidarity with their
colleagues in some state universities.

Addressing newsmen
at its secretariat, the union’s chairman in the university, Chike
Ekeopara, said the strike followed a resolution by the national
executive of the Union, at a meeting held in Calabar in September.

He said that the
strike was to draw the attention of Nigerians to the state of affairs
in some state universities. He recalled that in 2009, the union had
entered into an agreement with the Federal Government which he said was
a benchmark for all the universities in the country.

Mr. Ekeopara said
the agreement was binding on all the universities in the country,
including both the state and private institutions. According to the
ASUU chairman, all the Northern state governments and many of the
South-West state governments have implemented the agreement.

He lamented the failure of the South South and South East state governments to implement the agreement.

He said, “this
strike is embarked upon as a warning strike to the state governments
where we have state universities. They should implement that
agreement.’’

Mr. Ekeopara also
warned politicians against undermining the education of Nigerian
children, adding that it would not augur well for the growth and
development of the country.

He advised the state governments concerned to do everything to
implement the agreement to avoid total strike. He said that after the
three-day warning strike, lecturers would return to the classrooms, and
await further directives from the national executive of the union. All
the state-owned universities in the South East have remained closed for
months now over the non-implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FG agreement by
the state governments.