The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has indicated that a strike is not imminent if the Federal Government implements the agreements reached within the next two weeks. This statement was made by Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, President of ASUU, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.
ASUU had previously threatened to embark on a strike due to the non-implementation of agreements reached with the federal government. In response, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, invited the union to a meeting on June 26 to discuss the lingering issues affecting universities and to avert the planned strike.
Prof. Osodeke stated that none of the agreements reached with the Federal Government had been implemented. He mentioned that at the meeting called by the Minister of Education, it was agreed that after two weeks, they would reconvene to assess the progress made by the government. “We will also see what we will do next if the government fails to implement the agreements reached. The meeting in the next two weeks is to see what they have done, which will inform our decision,” he said.
The ASUU president highlighted several key demands, including the non-implementation of the 2009 re-negotiated agreements. He noted that these agreements had been pending for over six years without implementation. Additionally, Osodeke pointed out that academic allowances due to their members had accumulated for over six years with no action taken.
Regarding the revitalization fund, he mentioned that they had agreed on the NEEDs Assessment Report to raise N200 billion yearly for five years. “Since 2013, only one has been paid. We need revitalization funds to upgrade our universities to standard so that we can have students and lecturers from outside the country,” he stated.
Prof. Osodeke also expressed concern about the proliferation of universities, noting that many new universities were being approved without adequate funding to run them. He added that the government had not exited the university salary payment from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), despite approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in January. According to him, their members were still being paid through IPPIS, contrary to the FEC directive.
while a strike by ASUU is not imminent, the implementation of the agreements reached with the Federal Government in the next two weeks will be crucial in determining the union’s next steps. The issues highlighted by ASUU, including the non-implementation of past agreements, unpaid academic allowances, the need for revitalization funds, and the problematic proliferation of underfunded universities, remain pressing concerns that need to be addressed.
- ASUU- Strike Not Imminent FG Holds The Key
- Biden Asked to Step Aside 2024 Presidential Ambition
- Atiku, Obi and Kwakwanso Must Unite for 2027
- Lagos Set to Evict Structures Blocking Drainages
- Missing 100-Level UNN Student Found Dead On Campus
One thought on “ASUU- Strike Not Imminent FG Holds The Key”