All was calm on Monday at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina, as the school resumed from the COVID-19 induced vacation.
Although students turned out in large number for the resumption, the institution’s lecturers shunned their various offices, insisting the strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities was still on.
Some of the lecturers only turned up in the morning for a congress called by the local chapter of ASUU and they left the campus immediately after the congress.
Some of them, who attended the meeting but pleaded for anonymity, said issues concerning the ongoing strike were discussed.
The sources said it was unanimously decided at the congress that the lecturers should continue staying at home until the ASUU national body directed otherwise.
One of the sources said, “We held our local congress this morning and we resolved to continue with the strike until the national leadership of our union directs us to resume work. Our other resolutions, including those concerning the IPPIS, are to be sent to the national headquarters of ASUU on or before Wednesday.”
It was also observed that following the development, many students, who needed the attention of the lecturers for the registration protocol, could not be attended to. Some of the students were also seen loitering around the campus.
A 300-level Law student, Ahmeed Kuraye, implored the lecturers to call off the strike on compassionate ground.
He said, “We plead with the ASUU and our lecturers to call off the strike on compassionate ground. We have been at home for about five months now and we all looked up to resumption of classes when the school authority directed us to resume.
“We know the ASUU demands are legitimate but they should please resume work for the sake of our future.”
ASUU Chairman in the institution, Ibrahim Kankara said the resolutions arrived at the congress would be made public.
