The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced that it will declare a nationwide strike soon if the Nigerian Government fails to meet its demands.
Professor Adelaja Odukoya, the coordinator of the Lagos zone of the union, informed the press that the union is losing patience with the Federal Government’s delay and “insensitivity” to the plight of its members and public universities. He emphasised that the only condition that would prevent the union from embarking on a strike is a swift response from the government.
“Our union assessed the outcomes of its engagements with the state and federal governments over the last few months on matters pertaining to the status of developments around the renegotiated 2009 Agreement, payment of owed salaries and earned academic allowances (EAA), unremitted deductions made by the disruptive and discredited IPPIS, proliferation of universities, and a number of other matters.
“NEC also had a critical review of government policies and actions that had led to the present deteriorated living and working conditions across the country and in our universities, particularly,” he said.
The ASUU official stated that issues that have lingered for years remain unaddressed by the government. He added that the government’s ‘no work, no pay’ rule contradicts global labour laws to which Nigeria is a signatory. He also described the newly constituted governing councils for federal universities as illegal.
Odukoya is calling for increased funding for public universities, asserting that it is better to improve the capacity and access of the universities, which in turn will enable them to become global contenders.