The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has indicated that a strike could be avoided if the Federal Government fulfills its agreements within the next two weeks.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, ASUU President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke stated the ongoing issues. ASUU had previously threatened to strike due to the government’s failure to implement agreed terms.
On June 26, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, convened a meeting with ASUU to discuss the unresolved issues and prevent the strike. However, Osodeke noted that none of the agreements have been enacted so far.
“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,” Osodeke said. “We will also see what we will do next if the government fails to implement the agreements reached.”
Key among ASUU’s demands is the implementation of the 2009 re-negotiated agreements, which have been pending for over six years. Additionally, academic allowances for ASUU members have accumulated without action from the government.
Regarding the revitalisation fund, Osodeke pointed out that only one payment has been made since the 2013 agreement to allocate N200 billion annually for five years. This fund is crucial for upgrading universities to international standards.
Osodeke also criticized the government’s approval of new universities without adequate funding and the continued use of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) for salary payments, despite a Federal Executive Council directive to exit the system.
