The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has indicated that an imminent strike can be avoided if the Federal Government implements the agreements reached with the union within the next two weeks. This statement was made by ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, 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 these agreements. In response, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, convened a meeting on June 26 to discuss the persistent issues affecting universities and to prevent the potential strike.
According to Osodeke, none of the agreements made with the Federal Government have been implemented so far. He mentioned that a follow-up meeting is scheduled for two weeks from now to assess the progress made by the government. “At the meeting called by the Minister of Education, we agreed that after two weeks, we will meet to see the progress the government has made. 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,” Osodeke said.
One of the key demands includes the non-implementation of the 2009 re-negotiated agreements, which have been pending for over six years. Osodeke also highlighted that academic allowances due to ASUU members have accumulated over the same period, with no action taken by the government.
Regarding the revitalization fund, Osodeke mentioned that there was an agreement based on the Needs Assessment Report to allocate N200 billion yearly for five years to upgrade university standards. However, since 2013, only one payment has been made. “We need revitalization funds to upgrade our universities to standard so that we can have students and lecturers from outside the country,” he stated.
Osodeke also criticized the government’s continuous approval of new universities without providing the necessary funds to run them. Furthermore, he pointed out that the government has yet to remove university salary payments from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), despite the Federal Executive Council’s approval in January. ASUU members are still being paid through IPPIS, contrary to the directive issued by the FEC.
The outcome of the upcoming meeting in two weeks will be crucial in determining ASUU’s next steps. If the government fails to show significant progress in implementing the agreements, the union may proceed with its planned strike action.
