ASUU Strike: Anxiety As Union Meets Today

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Students in state and public varsities have expressed fears over an impending strike in the university system as the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) meets today over government’s failure to implement its agreements.

Also See: ASUU Strike Looms in UNMAID

The union had on Wednesday revealed that a final decision on the nationwide strike would be taken today, following its nationwide consultation with the branches.

It was observed that there are strong indications the union might embark on another industrial action given that most of their demands remain unattended to.

ASUU zonal branches across the country including Abuja, Nsukka, Ibadan, Yola, Benin, Akure, Owerri, Bauchi, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Calabar, Sokoto and Kano zones have all resolved that until the demands are met, the industrial action is inevitable.

Despite the fact that government said it had disbursed N52.5b as revitalisation and Earned Academic Allowances to universities as fulfillment of part of the agreement, the union said some universities are yet to receive the fund while the major issues remain unaddressed.

The zonal coordinator of the Abuja branch, Dr. Salahu Mohammed Lawal, told LEADERSHIP Weekend that the major issue of concern to the union was the full implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement as renegotiated in 2021, based on ILO’s collective bargaining principles.

He said, “We want the full implementation of all outstanding provisions in the 7th February, 2021 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action and immediate deployment of ASUU’s innovation of a more robust system of human resource management and compensation, called the UTAS.

“The fundamental issues which are key to guaranteeing industrial harmony in the universities are viz, the signing and implementation of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, deployment without further delay of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) and inconsistencies in salary payment with IPPIS.”

Other zones have equally stressed that the consequences of the federal government’s refusal to implement the 2009 agreement is that the union has resolved to go on an indefinite strike any moment and once it begins, it will not stop until all agreements are fulfilled.

Since July, ASUU has been threatening to go on strike over the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement between the union and the federal government and the Memorandum of Understanding and Memorandum of Actions that issued from it over the years.

ASUU called off its nine month strike last December over the same demands.  The federal government promised to implement the nine demands immediately from January.

A cross section of university students who spoke to our correspondent lamented the inability of government to resolve the issues over the years which has been affecting the academic calendar of public universities and other repercussions on the students.

Festus Igba of the University of Abuja, said the planned strike was creating anxiety in the lives of students, having recovered from the effects of the strike last year, while urging ASUU to complete up with a positive decision that will not affect the students again.

A 200 level student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Cletus Sesugh, said the union needs to consider the plight of students and forego the planned strike.

“Every country in the world value educational sector but Nigeria leaders don’t care about it, this is because their personal interests are deemed better than those of the citizens,” he said