By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
THE leadership of the University of Benin Branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has debunked rumours that the branch had backed out of the ongoing strike.
Chairman, ASUU UNIBEN, Ray N. Chikogu, in a terse statement on Wednesday, obtained by Stonix News denied the purported treachery, saying “No retreat, no surrender.”
Stonix News reports that following a stalemate as regards the negotiation between the Federal Government and ASUU which led to the extension of the strike indefinitely, fifth columnists had gone to town with a story that some ASUU branches, such as UNIBEN, had back tracked.
But in a swift response to the rumour mill, Chikogu, described such purported back-out as ludicrous.
“The leadership of the University of Benin Branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has read with amusement, a piece of information purporting that the University of Benin has backed out of the ongoing ASUU strike and that the University resumes normal activities on September 4, 2022.
“We urge the general public to disregard the laughable piece of deliberate misinformation and state unequivocally that ASUU UNIBEN is irrevocably committed to executing the current strike to its logical conclusion, or until such a time that the National Executive Council (NEC) of our Union deems it fit to direct otherwise.
“The Branch is more than aware that the intelligentia have a moral obligation to rescue public tertiary education from the grip of retrogressive forces in the corridors of power who insist on imposing forced labour, paying slave wages, and pricing access to quality education out of the reach of the ordinary Nigerian child.
“ASUU UNIBEN is convinced that these forces need to be checked for the sake of posterity, and that the time is now.
“For us, it is “no retreat, no surrender!”
“We have no doubts whatsoever that the verdict of history will be on the side of ASUU.
“Aluta continua! Victoria acerta,” the statement reads.
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