‘ASUU has no issue with state’ — el-Rufai threatens to sack KASU lecturers over strike

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, has threatened to sack lecturers of the Kaduna State University (KASU) who joined the ongoing strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

ASUU has been on strike since February 14 to protest the federal government’s failure to honour an agreement on issues on funding of universities, as well as lecturers’ salaries and allowances.

Speaking on Wednesday in a chat with journalists, el-Rufai said ASUU’s issue is with the federal government and not the state.

“The acting vice-chancellor told us that they’ve resumed lectures in the university but we haven’t confirmed. Even on Monday, I asked someone to check because I stopped the payment of their salaries. Then, I was later told that they are not part of the strike and we said their salaries should be paid to them,” he said.

“Then we later heard that they are also on strike. So, I stopped the payment of their salaries. Those that were paid and did not go to teach after the strike, we will collect our money back, because in Nigeria, the law says if you are on strike, then there is no salary.

“Therefore, whoever is on strike will not be paid salary and we have told ASUU several times that they have no issue with the government of Kaduna state; their issue is with the federal government. Why will the lecturers of our state university who have no problem with us say they are going on strike?

“If it continues, we might just wake up one day and sack them all. We will publish their jobs on newspapers and employ new lecturers, because it is not the right thing and they are violating the law. They’ve done this before, we warned them, and now they’ve done it again.

“I’m waiting to receive the report. I swear we will sack all the lecturers of KASU that joined the strike because nobody can say the government of Kaduna state has violated his right in KASU.

“ASUU has a problem with the federal government, and you are here trying to deprive our children of education and you expect us not to sack you? I swear we will sack them. Therefore, I am waiting for a report from the commissioner of education. We will take necessary action if they don’t get back to work.”