hot nigeria info.

The South-east stakeholders meeting convened by the governors to find a way out of the strike by lecturers in the zone turned sour when ASUU leadership and members walked out in protest.
Chairman of the South-east Governors’ Forum, Mr. Peter Obi, had during accreditation for the meeting at the Nike Lake Resort Enugu announced that only Igbo speaking lecturers would be allowed in.

The lecturers, who viewed the announcement as a ploy to stop the national leadership of ASUU from participating, protested the decision and were consequently manhandled by security agents.

The coordinator of the ASUU strike in the zone, Dr. Emmanuel Osedeke, expressed shock that the governor could introduce ethnicity into the university system; “its unfortunate and we decided to walk out.” He alleged that Mr. Obi was out to prolong the strike because he wasn’t going to be part of the 2011 elections, “and his children are not here.” Osedeke declared that the strike would continue until the owners of the universities tell the governors that they were not a local institution; “because the governors did not own the schools.”

He lamented the assault unleashed on ASUU members, pointing out that they no longer feel safe; “the last time we came to Enugu, the governor unleashed dogs on us; so if there will be another meeting, it will be at a neutral ground. One of the lecturers, who was molested by the security agents, Mr. Ogbonna Onuoha, from Abia State University, narrated how a policeman held him on the head and tried to push him down; “when I recovered, his fingers were pointed towards my eyes as he threatened to blind me.

“And as we tried to go, they attempted to kidnap us; they held us hostage and even turned our students against us.”
Efforts to bring the lecturers back to the meeting failed and at the end, a committee was set up to look into the face-off and see the best way to resolve the problem. The committee, which was jointly headed by the Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma and former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, announced that negotiation had been taken over by them. Bishop Chukwuma, who briefed newsmen on the outcome of the meeting, said it was agreed that a neutral body outside the governors and lecturers should handle the negotiation and come up with a conclusion.

He urged ASUU to appreciate the intervention and re-open the universities with the hope that agreement would be reached. Among the stakeholders that attended were the five governors of the zone, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; Chairman South-east Tradtional Rulers, Eze Cletus Illomanya, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, Chief Hope Uzodimma, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, Senator Ayogu Eze, among others.