The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a serious warning of an impending indefinite strike due to the Federal Government’s failure to fulfill its commitments as outlined in the 2009 agreement. The warning was made public by Prof. Timothy Namo, the Bauchi Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, during a press conference held in Jos on Friday.
Prof. Namo explained that the union’s concerns have been long-standing, and despite repeated attempts to engage the government, no significant progress has been made. He mentioned that after the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held between August 17 and August 18, the union had issued a 21-day ultimatum to the government, demanding action.
”As we speak, the government has not honour any of the agreements or addressed our concerns.
”At the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum, we again issued another 14-day ultimatum that commenced from Sept. 23.
”So, we want Nigerians to blame the federal government if ASUU decides to down tools and shut down public universities,” he said.
Prof. Namo outlined the main issues at the heart of the dispute, which include the non-conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, non-payment of three-and-a-half months of salaries to academic staff, unpaid salaries to staff on adjunct appointments, and delays in third-party deductions. He also highlighted the inadequate funding for the revitalization of public universities and the failure to pay Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) as promised in the 2023 budget.
Other grievances raised by ASUU include the unchecked proliferation of new universities across the country, which has further strained existing resources, as well as the failure to implement the recommendations of visitation panels to various universities.
