ASUU LATEST: Members Attend Special Thanksgiving Service to Mark the End of the Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has pledged to make efforts at ensuring authorities in the Nigerian universities make sensible use of intervention funds released by the Federal Government recently to end the union's strike, which was in its sixth month.

Mr. Olusegun Ajiboye, the Chairman of the University of Ibadan (UI) branch of the union, declared this in Ibadan on December 22, 2013, Sunday after a thanksgiving service at the Chapel of Resurrection to mark a peaceful end of the strike.

Mr. Ajiboye also corrected the erroneous impression that the N200 billion deposited in Central Bank of Nigeria was released to ASUU.

He said, rather, the funds would be released to the universities' managements and their governing councils to address peculiar challenges identified in the needs assessment report on universities across the country.

Mr. Ajiboye noted that it was incumbent upon the union to strive to ensure the funds were used for the right purposes, having been at the forefront of fighting for its injection into the university. He also tasked the Federal Government to always be responsive to the needs of Nigerians, and not wait till it was compelled to.

At Sunday's service a special prayer was offered for the families of the late Festus Iyayi and students who lost their lives during the strike.

T.O Olatunji, the Chaplain of the Chapel, challenged ASUU his short sermon to forge ahead in the fight for a better knowledge acquisition environment by ensuring that the monies released were well managed and used for the needs of the universities.

"There is no victor, no vanquish. Forgive those who did not support you or supported you half way. Make sure that the money released is used for that which it was released to do," the Cleric said.

It would be noted that the thanksgiving events commenced with a Jumat service at the university mosque on December 20, 2013, Friday.

The Church service was attended by the Vice Chancellor Isaac Adewole, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Idowu Olayinka, Director of Distance learning programme Bayo Okunade, while the ASUU team was led by Mr. Ajiboye and the National Treasurer of ASUU Ademola Aremu.