The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) announced that it will hold a meeting with the Federal Government on July 25, 2024, to discuss unresolved demands.
ASUU’s National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, in an telephone interview with Punch Newspaper on Sunday said July 25 is the agreed implementation date set in the timeline with the Federal Government.
For several weeks, ASUU chapters across various campuses have been actively protesting. These demonstrations, supported by students, included threats of renewed industrial action if the government fails to meet their commitments.
The union also issued an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, urging the full implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federal Government in 2009.
Osodeke noted that the protests had a positive impact, prompting the Federal Government to schedule a meeting and establish a timeline for addressing some of the union’s demands.
“We have met with the Minister of Education and set a timeline. They made promises to us, and we want to see if they will be fulfilled. We are meeting on July 25 to assess their progress,” he said. “The protest compelled them to call us for a meeting, and they should keep their promise.”
In a letter dated June 20, 2024, published in a newspaper, ASUU explained that Nigerian academics were forced to go on a nationwide strike on February 14, 2022, after all efforts to resolve issues with the government were ignored.
Osodeke detailed ten primary issues, including the finalization of the FGN/ASUU Agreement based on the 2021 Nimi Briggs Committee draft, the release of three and a half months of withheld salaries from the 2022 strike, unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical and part-time appointments, outstanding third-party deductions, funding for public university revitalization, and Earned Academic Allowances.
Other concerns involve the proliferation of universities by federal and state governments, implementation of university visitation panel reports, illegal dissolution of governing councils, and the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solutions (UTAS) instead of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
Osodeke urged, “Your Excellency is requested to initiate the necessary steps to bring ASUU and key stakeholders together to address unresolved issues since 2009. This will help avoid another disruptive industrial action and ensure smooth academic calendars as promised by the administration.”
Credit: Punch
