Fresh Strike Looms as ASUU Gives Final Warning to FG
- ASUU has warned that it will resume a nationwide strike if the Federal Government does not meet lecturers’ demands before the expiration of its one-month ultimatum
- The union criticised the slow pace of renegotiations and misrepresentation of its engagement with the government
- ASUU called on the FG to place a moratorium on the establishment of state universities without adequate funding
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Kano, Nigeria - The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a stern warning that it may resume a nationwide strike if the Federal Government fails to meet the union’s demands at the expiration of its one-month ultimatum.
Speaking at a press conference in Kano on Monday, the Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Abdulkadir Muhammad, said the one-month ultimatum issued to the government to meet the union’s demands was about to lapse.
Source: Twitter
He warned that failure of the government to act could lead to a total shutdown of universities.
Representatives from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Bayero University Kano (BUK), Kaduna State University (KASU), Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Federal University Dutse (FUD), Northwest University (NWU), and Sule Lamido University (SLUK) attended the meeting.
Muhammad lamented the “sluggish approach” of the Federal Government in renegotiating agreements aimed at improving Nigeria’s public university system.
“Our hope for a holistic and timely resolution of the issues is increasingly being dashed.
“It is unfortunate that some government functionaries employ different tactics to undermine the renegotiation process and misinform the public on the state of our engagements,” he told newsmen.
The lecturers had, in October, suspended their warning strike with a month-long ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet their demands, which centred around their welfare and providing a conducive teaching and learning environment.
Gov't did not show commitment - ASUU
Muhammad said the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) expressed dissatisfaction during its meeting at Taraba State University on November 8 and 9, highlighting the slow pace of talks as a major obstacle to meaningful resolution.
He stressed that the Federal Government has yet to demonstrate a genuine commitment to improving lecturers’ welfare or addressing factors that drive brain drain from universities.
“What government has offered will neither improve working conditions nor attract scholars from abroad,” he added.
Source: Twitter
ASUU also urged the FG to place a moratorium on the establishment of state universities, noting that governors often create such institutions without ensuring proper funding.
“Governors have cultivated the habit of establishing universities in their states without commitment to funding them,” he said.
ASUU Strike In Nigeria
Over the past 23 years, Nigeria's Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has embarked on 16 strikes, cumulatively halting academic activities in public universities for more than four years.
These industrial actions, often prolonged, have been primarily in response to the federal government's failure to honour agreements related to funding, salaries, and university autonomy.
ASUU, established in 1978, has a history of industrial actions dating back to its early years. The union's first major strike occurred in 1988, leading to its proscription by the military government.
Subsequent strikes in 1994 and 1996 protested against the dismissal of academic staff by the Sani Abacha regime.
Unfulfilled agreements
Central to ASUU's grievances is the 2009 agreement with the federal government, which promised increased funding for university revitalisation and better remuneration for lecturers.
Despite multiple memoranda of understanding and agreements over the years, many of these commitments remain unfulfilled, prompting repeated strikes.
Source: Legit.ng
