Minister of Youths Inteferes in Lingering Unijos Strike

Mr. Solomon Dalung, Minister of Youths and Sports Development is intervening in the lingering UniJos strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, University of Jos chapter which clocked 90 days yesterday.

University of Jos lecturers embarked on strike on October 23, to demand, among other things, the disbursement of their earned academic allowance as well as the payment of postgraduate supervision allowance.

Dalung was a law lecturer in the university before his appointment as a minister and was a member of ASUU UniJos Chapter.

The minister’s intervention is coming on the heels of the inability of the university authorities and the lecturers to resolve the issues after the governing council of the University tried to intervene.

UNIJOS-ASUU Chairman, Dr. Chris Piwuna has stated that many of the issues the lecturers have with the authorities of the institution have been pending since 2005.

Piwuna, who confirmed the minister’s intervention however, said a congress of the union would hold to decide whether or not to call off the strike immediately.

He added that the minister, as a former member of ASUU, felt embarrassed that a local issue had dragged on for such a long time, thereby endangering the future of hundreds of students.

Piwuna said, “We had a meeting with the authorities of the university following the intervention of the Minister of Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalung. The meeting was fruitful and we signed a memorandum of understanding, which I hope to present to the congress on Wednesday. Whatever they decide will determine whether we will call off the strike or not.”