JONATHAN: We didn’t give ASUU One week ultimatum

President Goodluck Jonathan has decried the prolonged strike by the  Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the non-implementation of its 2009 agreement  describing it as a subversive action.
Jonathan  who insisted that the five-month strike was no longer a trade dispute said ASUU was insensitive to the plight of students by bluffing all his efforts to resolve the dispute.
The President spoke at the Bayelsa State caucus meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which held at the Government House, Yenagoa.

The meeting was presided over by the state party chairman, Col Samuel Inokoba (retd).
The gathering which had in attendance party chieftains started on Friday night and ended on Saturday morning.
Jonathan reacted to a concern by the former governor of the state, Chief Diepreye Alamieyesigha over the December 4 deadline handed down by the Federal Government to ASUU to call off its strike or be sacked.
The former governor pleaded with the President over the deadline observing that it coincided with the funeral of late Prof. Festus Iyayi, a former leader of ASUU.
Iyayi died in a road accident in Kogi State on November 12, on his way to Kano for the National Executive Council meeting.
Alamieyesigha, the Chairman of the state’s Elders Advisory Forum asked  the President to have a rethink on the date to avoid perception that he was insensitive.
But Jonathan was unhappy that ASUU failed to reconsider its stance on the strike despite holding what he described as the longest meeting as a political office holder with the union.
He said theVicePresident, Minister of Finance, Minister of Labour, Minister of Justice, the Secretary to the Government and the delegation from the Nigeria Labour Congress were present in the marathon meetings meant to resolve the crisis.
The President said: “What ASUU is doing is no longer trade union. I have intervened in other labour issues before now, once I invite them they respond and after the meeting they take decision and call off the strike.
“At times we don’t even give them a long notice unlike in the case of ASUU that was given four days notice before the meeting. As you are meeting to resolve trade disputes, you expect the trade unions to get their officials ready.
“What was expected having met with the highest authorities in the land for long hours, was for ASUU to immediately issue statement within 12 or latest 24 hours to state their position whether they were accepting government’s offer or not. And if they are not accepting they state the reason for that.
“But despite the fact that I had the longest meeting with ASUU in my political history, we did not start that meeting until around 2 pm and the meeting ended the next day in the early hours of the morning.
“As far as the government of Nigeria was concerned, all the critical people that should be in a meeting were there, so what else do they want?
“After that they didn’t meet until one week, despite the fact that you met with the highest authority. It was unfortunate one of them, Prof. Iyayi died.
“The way ASUU has conducted the matter shows they are extreme and when Iyayi died, they now said the strike was now indefinite, our children have been at home for over five months.
“We didn’t give them ultimatum; it was the Committee of Vice Chancellors that took that decision. The Supervising Minister of Education only passed on the decision.
“What ASUU is doing is no longer trade dispute but subversive action. But like you rightly noted so that we will not be perceived to be insensitive, we will consult on the deadline.”