Despite suspending their over four months old strike, members of the
Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) at the Niger Delta University
(NDU) have continued to receive knocks from individuals and groups.
On Friday, a group of women under the aegis of Concern Mothers of Forum of
Students in NDU. registered their displeasure over what they described as
needless strike.
While lamenting that they are now under pressure to raise money to renew
the house rents of their children, they added that the situation has been
pitiable.
The spokesperson for the mothers, Madam Timinipre Iyekoroghe in an
interview with journalists in Yenagoa, stated that because of the
inability of government to pay full salaries, their businesses are also
greatly affected.
They berated ASUU for not considering their plights , saying most of them
are widows and petty traders who are now left with the option of using
their upkeep funds to pay for the fresh rent of their children and feeding
allowances too.
Iyekoroghe stated that members of ASUU allowed greed and politics to steal
their conscience as it was clear that the strike was for their own
aggrandisment.
She stated that by their refusal to call off the strike long before now in
spite of several plea by the Bayelsa State Government, the leadership of
ASUU confirmed to the world that their patronage from the opposition party
APC, was real.
She lamented a situation where members of ASUU, are visibly celebrating
and boasting that the governor will be remove from office by the election
petition tribunal and as such refused to call of their strike action only
to do so after their preferred party lost at the tribunal is wicked and
devilish.
The group called on the governor to ban ASUU in the University, saying
their activities have become counter productive and enimical to society
and the development of the state.
Some former students of NDU had also recently took a swipe at ASUU and
warned them strongly not to embark on any unnecessary industrial action or
be ready to face them.