ASUU had threatened to embark on strike action if the federal government failed to meet its demands and fulfil an agreement reached with it.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Nigerian government are yet to reach an agreement over the demands of the lecturers’ union.
ASUU had threatened to embark on strike action if the federal government failed to meet its demands and fulfil an agreement reached with it.
A top execution in the union told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that the federal government had failed to reach out to the lecturers’ union, 48 hours before the expiration of the deadline given by the union.
“The federal government has not reached out, there is nothing yet,” the ASUU executive told SaharaReporters.
He confirmed that the deadline issued to the government would expire on Friday.
Earlier, ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, in a statement issued accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of not showing commitment to the issue.
He stated that the non-fulfillment of the government’s promises has been fuelling a crisis in the public university system.
The statement said, “In view of the foregoing, ASUU resolves to give the Nigerian Government another 14 days, in addition to the earlier 21 days, beginning from Monday, September 23, 2024, during which all the lingering issues must have been concretely addressed to the satisfaction of the membership of the union.”
“The union should not be held responsible for any industrial disharmony that arises from the government’s failure to seize the new opportunity offered by ASUU to nip the looming crisis in the bud,” ASUU said.
Apart from the implementation of the 2021 agreement, ASUU is also demanding the release of unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments affected by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and the payment of outstanding third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions.
The union is also seeking funding for the revitalization of public universities, partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government Budget, and the payment of Earned Academic Allowances partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government Budget.
In a related development, ASUU on Wednesday informed the public that its should not be held accountable if it embarks on another strike.
In a statement released by the ASUU-Nsukka Zone on Wednesday in Makurdi, Zonal Coordinator Raphael Amokaha, accused the government of lacking sincerity in addressing the union's longstanding grievances.
He emphasized that ASUU has taken extensive measures to prevent a strike but noted that the government has failed to engage meaningfully with their demands.
Amokaha stated the similarities between the current situation and the protracted strike in 2022, stressing that unresolved issues persist.
He said, “The issues that were in contention at that time were the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement, poor funding of our universities, the forceful usurpation of the duties of university bursary departments by the Integrated Personnel Payment Information System (IPPIS), and the non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), which is included in the 2023 budget.”
“This attitude, unfortunate in its nonchalance, may be inspired by a delusional sense of conquest over ASUU. Why else would a government treat the cries and appeals of an intellectual union with such disdain and levity, especially coming in the wake of campaign promises that are still so fresh?” he said