As the Academics Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike enters second day, lecturers at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi defy it, while students continue with their second semester examinations.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ASUU announced the commencement of an indefinite nationwide strike with immediate effect on Nov. 5
The decision was announced at the end of an emergency meeting on Nov. 4, which ASUU attributed to failure on the side of the government to honour the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed between the union and the Federal Government in 2017.
The students began their examinations on Oct. 29 under the supervision of their lecturers, while others were seen reading and attending to discussion sessions.
Miss Aminu Ibrahim, a student of the Department of Microbiology of the university said: “we are in our second week of exams, which will be concluded on the Nov. 19.
“As a matter of fact, we don’t know ASUU is on strike because our exams are going on smoothly
“We are only aware of labour strike which was suspended.
“All the same, we are begging them to allow us finish our exams before joining the strike,” Ibrahim said
Malam Ibrahim Giade, a student of Mechanical Engineering pleaded with their lectures to allow them finish their exams before joining the strike.
“We are calling on our lectures to allow us complete our exams before they join the nationwide strike, they should sympathise with us some who are from far distance,” he said.
NAN checks at the Bauchi State University, Bauchi Campus showed that the students are on break.
All efforts to get some lecturers on the campus to speak on the strike failed as they all said “students are on break’’.
The Chairman ASUU/ATBU Bauchi chapter, Dr Adamu Babayo said, “we will talk after our congress today.
“We will be holding congress any moment from now and we will brief you after the it,’’ he said.
