Federal Government Forms Task Force To Prevent ASUU Strike
The Ministry of Education has announced that efforts are underway to avert another strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). The Director of Press in the ministry, Folasade Biriowo, made this statement during an interview in Abuja on Sunday. “I can assure you that everything is being done to prevent the strike from happening. The minister has teams working already, so I can give you that assurance,” Biriowo said.
ASUU recently issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to address several unresolved issues, or it would proceed with another strike. The university lecturers are demanding the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s Draft Agreement of 2021. They are also seeking the release of withheld salaries from the 2022 strike action.
Other demands include the release of unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments, which were affected by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). Additionally, ASUU is pushing for the payment of outstanding third-party deductions, such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions.
The union is also calling for funding for the revitalization of public universities, partly addressed in the 2023 Federal Government Budget, as well as the payment of Earned Academic Allowances. Concerns over the proliferation of universities by Federal and State Governments, the implementation of visitation panel reports, and the reversal of the dissolution of Governing Councils are also on the table. ASUU further insists on replacing IPPIS with the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, in a statement last Wednesday, expressed frustration with the government’s slow response and lack of commitment, accusing it of causing a crisis in the public university system. “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, 23rd September 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 government’s failure to seize the new opportunity,” Osodeke warned.
As tensions rise, all eyes are on the Federal Government to see if it will resolve the pressing issues in time, avoiding another disruption in Nigeria’s public university system.
