Friday 25 October 2013

Police Disrupt ASUU Rally In Ondo



An attempt by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) to enlighten the public on the rationale behind the ongoing strike was on Thursday thwarted by the police.
The Ondo State Police Command  disrupted the rally organised by the lecturers on the excuse that it could be hijacked by hoodlums.
An Armoured Personnel Carrier  (APC) was used by a detachment led by a senior police officer to barricade the main gate leading to the university.
But the police public relations officer (PPRO), Mr Wole Ogodo said the police took the action to prevent the situation from being hijacked by the hoodlums.
The protesting ASUU members in their placards displayed at the starting point of the rally, have the following inscriptions, "Transformation Without Education Is Zero, "ASUU Says No To Destruction of Public Universities."
Others included  "Agreement Is Agreement, Federal Government Do The Right Thing, "ASUU Members Are The Real Nigeria Patriots," "Okonjo is Wahala", "Jonathan Stop Playing Politics With Education," amongst others.
Addressing journalists, the FUTA chapter  chairman, Dr Alex Odiyi expressed disgust about the disruption by police despite a letter to the police command since October 17.
Odiyi said in a copy of the letter made available to journalists in Akure that the rally was meant to enlighten the citizenry on the motive for the strike.
The rally, according to the letter signed by the chairman and the secretary, Dr K. S Adegbie, was arranged to begin from the university to the Akure Central Market.
He wondered why police protection was provided for market women protesting against the continued strike by ASUU, while they who were concerned were not allowed to educate the public on the insincerity of the government.
Also speaking, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU Ilorin Zone, Dr Ayun Adeleke said that the strike would continue following failure of government to honour the 2009 agreement.
He pointed out that ASUU was fed up with federal government's empty promises, adding that the no-work-no-pay threat was balderdash.

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