The Academic Staff Union of Universities has declared a
“comprehensive and total” strike.
The strike was declared at a press conference addressed by
the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, on Monday.
Members of the union’s National Executive Council had held
marathon meetings since Saturday at the University of Lagos titled, ‘NEC for
NEC.’
ASUU had sensitised and mobilised lecturers and students
across all universities on the reason the union might likely go on strike.
Backgound
The union had expressed grievances over the failure of the
Federal Government to fulfil some of the agreements it made as far back as
2009. ASUU had on November 15, 2021, given the federal government a three-week
ultimatum over the failure to meet the demands.
The lecturers threatened to embark on another round of
industrial action following the alleged “government’s unfaithfulness” in the
implementation of the Memorandum of Action it signed with the union, leading to
the suspension of the 2020 strike action.
After the union’s National Executive Council meeting at the
University of Abuja on November 13 and 14, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel
Osodeke, lamented that despite meeting with the Minister of Labour and
Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, on October 14, 2021, on issues, including funding
for revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances,
University Transparency Accountability Solution; promotion arrears,
renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, and the inconsistencies in Integrated
Payroll and Personnel Information System Payment, none of its demands had been
met.
Following the threat, the Minister of State for Education,
Emeka Nwajiuba, promised that the union would be paid.
A few weeks after, ASUU suspended the planned strike, as
N22.1 billion earned allowances were paid to lecturers in federal universities.
On the heels of the union’s renewed agitations, the
co-chairmen of the National Inter-religious Council, the Sultan of Sokoto,
Muhammad Abubakar III, and the President of the Christian Association of
Nigeria, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, visited the President, Major-General Muhammadu
Buhari (retd.), last month, over the lack of implementation of the Memorandum
of Understanding the government signed with ASUU in 2009 and others.
Details later…
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com