The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has indicated that a strike is not imminent if the Federal Government adheres to the agreements reached within the next two weeks.
This was disclosed by Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, President of ASUU, in 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 agreements reached with the Federal Government.
In response, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, invited the union to a meeting on June 26 to discuss the lingering issues affecting universities and to avert the planned strike.
Pending Agreements
Prof. Osodeke highlighted that none of the agreements reached with the Federal Government had been implemented. “At the meeting called by the Minister of Education, we agreed that after two weeks, we would meet to see the progress the government has made,” he said.
“We will also see what we will do next if 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.”
Among the unresolved issues are the non-implementation of the 2009 re-negotiated agreements. “These agreements have lingered for over six years, and the government has yet to implement them,” Osodeke noted.
He also mentioned the accumulated academic allowances due to their members, which have not been addressed for over six years.
Revitalisation Fund and Proliferation of Universities
On the issue of the revitalisation fund, Osodeke pointed out that they had agreed on the NEEDs Assessment Report to raise N200 billion yearly for five years.
“Since 2013, only one payment has been made. We need the revitalisation fund to upgrade our universities to standard so that we can attract students and lecturers from outside the country,” he said.
He also expressed concerns about the proliferation of universities without adequate funding. “The government continues to approve new universities without providing the necessary funds to run them,” Osodeke said.
IPPIS and Salary Payment
Another key issue is the government’s failure to exit the university salary payment from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), despite approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in January. “Our members are still being paid through IPPIS, against the directive by the FEC,” Osodeke stated.
The next two weeks will be crucial in determining the course of action for ASUU, as they await the government’s implementation of these agreements.
If the government fails to act, the union may proceed with the planned strike, further disrupting the academic calendar and impacting students across the country.
