ASUU Threatens Fresh Nationwide Strike, Gives FG Ultimatum

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has threatened to embark on a nationwide industrial action if the Federal Government fails to respond to its demands within the next three weeks.

Naija News reports that the Chairperson of ASUU Federal University Dutse, FUD, Branch in Jigawa State, Salim Ahmed, gave the warning at an emergency press conference held at FUD, ASUU Secretariat in Dutse.

Ahmed said the union had observed that the present administration deliberately ignored the leadership of the union since its inception on 29th May 2023.

Ahmed said the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement contains all the core issues of ASUU Members’ welfare, University Autonomy, Funding for the Revitalization of Nigerian Universities and Proliferation of Public Universities.

According to him, the core issues that pertain to the condition of service include all the contending issues as contained in the FGN/ASUU MoU 2012/2013, and the MoA of 2017, Illegal dissolution of Governing Councils in the Federal and State Universities, release of three and a half (7) months of the outstanding three and a half (7 ) months withheld salaries for a work that was already done.

Ahmed said ASUU is dismayed by the federal government’s unwillingness to address the outstanding issues with the union decisively.

He added that within the next three weeks, the union would set machinery in motion to mobilize its members further and sensitize them for further action.

He said, “The Members of the Expanded Executive Officers of the ASUU Federal University Dutse met today, Wednesday, 19th June 2024, to consider and take a look at the patriotic engagements of the union with the Federal and State governments on how best to address all the lingering problems bedeviling Nigerian Public Universities.

“All efforts were put in place by the leadership of the union to get the government to convene a meeting and listen to ASUU in order to iron out the contending issues, as contained in the International Labour Organization, ILO’s principle of collective bargaining, have failed.

“Others are release of the unpaid salaries of our members on sabbatical, adjunct, etc due to IPPIS inadequacy and inefficiency, release of third party deductions by IPPIS, payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), implementation of the report of the visitation Panels and adoption of UTAS in place of IPPIS.

“Based on all these, the members of our great union in this branch, like those of the other branches, are believing that the Federal Government is unwilling to decisively address the outstanding issues with the union, therefore, in line with the directives from the National secretariat, we resolved to hold a press conference and let the parents, the stakeholders in university education know of the situation and to be sensitized and well informed of the failure of the government to address these lingering issues.

“The general public should be aware of the true state of affairs.

“The union calls on all well-meaning discerning minds to prevail on Nigerian Government to attend to these outstanding issues and meet with our union leadership so as to avert an unnecessary and avoidable industrial crisis in our already frail and weak university system.”