NATIONWIDE BLACKOUT IMMINENT, AS ELECTRICITY WORKERS THREATEN ASUU SOLIDARITY STRIKE

* The National Union of Electricity Employees
(NUEE) says it will shut down the power
sector of the country should thefederal
government and the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) fail to resolve the
ongoing crisis in Nigeria’s federal universities
in seven days.
ASUU had, on July 1, ordered its members in
both federal and state universities to embark
on a nationwide strike. The action was called
to make the federal government honour an
Earned Allowance agreement it signed with
the lecturers in 2009.
The lecturers have vowed to continue the
strike until the government honours the
agreement in full. Mediation attempts have
failed as the lecturers continue to stay away
from work.
Fed up with the impasse, NUEE said that it
could no longer sit back and watch those in
positions of authority destroy the future of
young Nigerians who have remained at
home for months on account of the federal
government’s refusal to meet the legitimate
demands made by ASUU.
Speaking at a training workshop for labour
leaders in the power sector in Enugu, the
General Secretary of NUEE, Joe Ajaero, said
that electricityworkers across the country
would be directed to join other progressive
labour unions “to shut down the country” as
a way of expressing anger over the ongoing
strike.
“We can no longer sit back and watch this
disturbing drama going on between the
Federal government and ASUU. If the strike is
not addressed within the next one week,
NUEE and other progressive unions will shut
down the country,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that those in power are not
bothered about the closure of the
universities. They are less concerned
because none of their children are studying
in Nigerian universities.
“Their children are overseas just as they
travel overseas for medical attention
because they have allowed our hospitals to
die. Whether our children are out of school or
not they are not bothered but we are going
to join our children to stay at home from
next week.
“Our public institutions are dead because
those unpatriotic leaders have nothing to do
with them but when they are banned from
travelling overseas to access improved
facilities, they will have no option than to
look inward and address our numerous
challenges.”