ASUU Threatens Strike, Gives 14-Day Ultimatum To FG
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a fresh 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government demanding its resolution of the lingering issues affecting lecturers in the country.
Coming after the expiration of an earlier 21 days’ ultimatum it issued, ASUU is demanding the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s Draft Agreement of 2021, and the payment of salaries withheld due to the union’s eight-month industrial action in 2022.
In a statement on Wednesday, ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke expressed frustration with the government’s lack of commitment and delay tactics, saying the actions were fueling a crisis in the public university system.
The statement read thus; “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.”
Furthermore, ASUU wants 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.
Also on the table is adequate funding for the revitalization of public universities; the payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) partly captured in the 2023 budget; and the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) to replace for IPPIS.
The University lecturers further seek the government’s commitment to address issues around the proliferation of universities by federal and state governments; the implementation of the reports of visitation panels to universities; and reversal of the illegal dissolution of governing councils.
