The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has given a three-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to respond to its demands and meet with their uninon heads to avoid industrial action.
Comrade Salim Ahmed, the ASUU chairman of the Federal University of Dutse (FUD) Branch in Jigawa State, issued the warning at an emergency press conference held at the in Dutse.
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.”
Ahmed said ASUU acknowledged the present administration’s deliberate ignorance to the leadership of the Union since its inception on 29th May 2023.
He said,“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 Organisation, ILO’s principle of collective bargaining, have failed.”
Ahmed also added that the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement contains all the core issues of ASUU Members’ welfare, University Autonomy, Funding for the Revitalisation of Nigerian Universities, and the Proliferation of Public Universities.
He added that the fundamental concerns regarding employment conditions encompass the various issues outlined in the FGN/ASUU MoU 2012/2013 and the MoA of 2017.
This, according to Ahmed, include the unauthorised dissolution of Governing Councils in both Federal and State Universities, as well as the payment of the outstanding three and a half (7) months’ withheld salaries for work that has already been completed.
“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, believe 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 sensitised 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 ASUU chairman said.
Ahmed disclosed that the union plans to initiate the process of mobilising its members and raising awareness for future actions within the next three weeks.
“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,” he added.
