Strike Threat: Panicky FG Reschedules Negotiations With ASUU

As part of efforts aimed at preventing a looming strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Federal Government has rescheduled a crucial follow-up negotiation meeting with the Union for September 6, 2024.

This was part of the decisions reached at a meeting between the Federal Government and ASUU after on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja.

ASUU on August 19, 2024, rose from its National Executive Council meeting that took place at the University of Ibadan and issued a notice of a strike over unresolved and non-implementation agreements reached between it and the Federal Government.

Some of the agreements according to ASUU revolve around the Federal Government’s failure to implement the 2009 renegotiated agreement, which includes demands for improved welfare for university staff, better funding for public universities, and a halt to the proliferation of new universities.

However, while responding to ASUU’s ultimatum, the Federal Government through the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, assured that it was actively addressing the concerns, stressing that some of the key issues, such as the exit from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), have already been addressed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Prof Mamman noted that many of the issues raised by the union have deep historical roots, dating as far back as 1981, adding that bureaucratic delays were part of the reasons for the slow implementation of the resolutions.

In the words of Mamman; “Most of the issues raised by ASUU are being attended to. For instance, the issue of exit from the IPPIS has since been resolved by the President.

“Bureaucracy is the reason for the delay in implementing that directive. But by the time we meet on Monday, some of these issues will be discussed and resolved,” he assured.

The minister also said that successive governments have faced similar challenges with ASUU, adding that every administration has had its share of the strikes.

He said that President Tinubu has made a commitment to finding a lasting solution to the perennial issues, stressing that it is a commitment reflected in his actions since taking office.

The Minister also called on ASUU to approach the upcoming negotiations with an open mind and spirit of compromise and particularly appealed to the union to consider the broader interests of all stakeholders in the education sector.