Strike: ASUU Reveals Condition For School To Resume, FG Responds

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has revealed it is ready to allow schools to resume but on one condition.

The union Abuja zone says schools will be allowed to resume if renegotiated 2009 agreement is signed, implemented and the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) deployed.

The ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Dr Salawu Muhammed Lawal, made this known during a press conference at the University of Abuja in Gwagwalada on Monday.

According to him, members are ever ready to return to their duty post as soon as their demands are met by the Federal Government.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the zone comprises the Federal University of Lafia, Federal University of Technology Minna, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, and the University of Abuja.

He said:

“You would recall that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) declared a four-week rolling strike at the University of Lagos National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Feb. 14.

Owing to the failure of the Federal Government to act within that period, the national action was rolled over for another eight weeks following the resolution taken at an emergency NEC meeting at the Festus Iyayi National Secretariat on March 14.

The action as you are probably aware is to among other things, compel the Federal Government to sign and implement the draft renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement submitted to it by the Prof. Munzali Committee in May 2021.

Deploy for use in the Nigerian university system, was the home-grown payment and personnel solution called UTAS developed by ASUU as a replacement for the failed IPPIS.

As usual, the Federal Government has ignored ASUU’s call for full implementation of that famous agreement and other memoranda signed with the union.

No meeting has been held between the two parties since the commencement of the ongoing strike. The only exception is our union’s re-submission of UTAS for a retest.

The summary is that unless and until the renegotiated 2009 agreement is signed and implemented and UTAS deployed, there will be no work in public universities.”

In reaction, the Federal Government said it will meet members of the Union on Monday, according to a report by PUNCH.

The Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Patience Onuobia, in a notice of meeting sent to journalists on Monday, said:

“The Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, will be meeting with the Academic Staff Union of Universities today by 5 pm.”

The ongoing industrial action by ASUU entered its 57th day today, Tuesday.

ALSO SEE: ASUU Extends Warning Strike For Another 8 Weeks, FG Reacts

ASUU had on Monday, February 14, 2022, announced a four week total and comprehensive warning strike following the inability of the union and the Federal Government to reach common ground on the demands of university lecturers.

Some of ASUU’s demands include the release of revitalization funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, release of earned allowances for university lecturers, and deployment of the UTAS payment platform for the payment of salaries and allowances of university lecturers.

Following the expiration of the initial four weeks of the warning strike, the union had gone ahead to declare another eight weeks saying that it was giving the government more time to attend to its needs.

Details later…