According to NAN, LAUTECH’s student union communicated the
ultimatum in a statement jointly signed by Anuoluwa Adeboye, its president, and
Gabriel Michael, the PRO.
The union urged the lecturers to toe the path of lecturers
at the Kwara State University (KWASU) who opted out.
ASUU’s national body had commenced a one-month strike on
February 14 due to its protracted disagreement with the government and
subsequently extended this by two months after the government failed to meet
its demands.
The LAUTECH students body said it would see ASUU in the
institution as saboteurs and resort to a confrontation if it fails to withdraw
from the strike embarked on by its national boy.
It said it had, on March 14 when the initial one-month
warning strike ended, reached out to the leadership of ASUU in the institution
to ensure sanity and bridge the communication gap.
The student union said the ASUU branch refused to grant
their request for dialogue and gave “flimsy” excuses.
“We are giving the leadership of ASUU LAUTECH 72 hours to
borrow a leaf from ASUU KWASU that wrote a special letter to the National ASUU
based on peculiarity in their institution,” it said.
“LAUTECH ASUU should opt out of this ongoing strike or else
the students’ union will be left with no choice but to see ASUU LAUTECH as
saboteurs to the progress of LAUTECH.
“They are doing these for their selfish interests and total
confrontation will commence after the 72 hours ultimatum.
“ASUU LAUTECH, up to date, has refused to grant this sane
request but gave excuses of no convenient time due to tensile loads on them.
“Yet they have the time to mobilise other ASUU Chapters to
LAUTECH for reasons which only favours their interest.
“Is it not now crystal clear that ASUU LAUTECH is only
fighting for their sole interest at the expense of students? it asked.”
The body stated that they are aware of the crippling effects
of the incessant strikes on their institution in the time past as well as the
sores still in place to date.
It said, regardless of the impasse between the government
and ASUU’s national body, the involvement of the ASUU branch in LAUTECH in the
ongoing strike is questionable.
“The involvement of ASUU LAUTECH is not only dangerous for
the students but also horrendous for the University system,” the student union
added.
“As a student body, we are poised towards the rectification
of our prestigious institution and a better educational system.”
The student union said that it is “extremely exigent” for
ASUU LAUTECH to openly address the students on why they joined the national
strike at the expense of the smooth running of the academic calendar.
According to the union, LAUTCEH’s last semester results are
currently withheld and the final-year students are delayed by precarious
strikes in the past.
“Also delayed is their mobilisation for the NYSC by the
four-week warning strike which was extended by eight weeks,” it said.
“Another disaster looms around the comer if the prevalent
maladies are not immediately curbed.”