The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a three-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to address its demands to avert potential industrial action. Comrade Salim Ahmed, the Chairperson of the ASUU branch at Federal University Dutse (FUD) in Jigawa State, announced this warning during an emergency press conference held at the FUD ASUU Secretariat in Dutse.
Comrade Ahmed emphasized the urgency of the matter, stating that the government’s failure to meet ASUU’s demands within the stipulated timeframe would result in industrial action. The specific demands were not detailed in the announcement, but ASUU has historically advocated for issues such as improved funding for universities, better working conditions for academic staff, and the implementation of previous agreements reached with the government.
According to him, “the Members of the Expanded Executive Officers of the ASUU Federal University Dutse met today, Wednesday, 19th June 2024, to consider and take a look at the patriotic engagements of the Union with the Federal and State governments on how best to address all the lingering problems bedeviling Nigerian Public Universities”.
He said ASUU observed that the present administration deliberately ignored the leadership of the Union since its inception on 29th May, 2023.
“All efforts were put in place by the leadership of the Union to get the government to convene a meeting and listen to ASUU in order to iron out the contending issues, as contained in the International Labour Organization, ILO’s principle of collective bargaining, have failed,” he said.
Ahmed said the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement contains all the core issues of ASUU Members welfare, University Autonomy, Funding for Revitalization of Nigerian Universities and Proliferations of Public Universities.
He added that the core issues that pertain to condition of service includes all the contending issues as contained in the FGN/ASUU MoU 2012/2013, and the MoA of 2017, Illegal dissolution of Governing Councils in the Federal and State Universities, Release of three and a half (7) months of the outstanding three and a half (7 ) months withheld salaries for a work that was already done.
“Others are release of the unpaid salaries of our members on sabbatical, adjunct, etc due to IPPIS inadequacy and inefficiency, release of third party deductions by IPPIS, payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), implementation of the report of the visitation Panels and adoption of UTAS in place of IPPIS.”
“Based on all these, the members of our great union in this branch, like those of the other branches, are believing that the Federal Government is unwilling to decisively address the outstanding issues with the union, therefore, in line with the directives from the National secretariat, we resolved to hold a press conference and let the parents, the stakeholders in university education know of the situation and to be sensitized and well informed of the failure of the government to address these lingering issues.”
“The general public should be aware of the true state of affairs.”
Ahmed disclosed that the union would, within the next three weeks, set machinery in motion to further mobilize its members and sensitize them for further action.
“The union calls on all well-meaning discerning minds to prevail on Nigerian Government to attend to these outstanding issues and meet with our union leadership so as to avert an unnecessary and avoidable industrial crisis in our already frail and weak university system,” Ahmed added.
