The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says that it would take action of strike if the Federal Government’s fails to meet its demand in the next 48 hours.
Lecturers in the country had threatened to embark on another strike following the non-implementation of the Memorandum of Action the federal government signed with the union, upon which last year’s strike action was suspended.
The union’s National Executive Council meeting at the University of Abuja on November 13 and 14.
ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, said despite meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige on October 14, 2021, on issues including funding for revitalization 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 the demands had been met.
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The Federal Government promised to pay N30 billion as revitalisation fund to universities. It also promised to pay N22.1billion earned allowances to university workers.
In a telephone interview with Daily Trust on Monday December 6, President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke said the union will conclude its consultation with various branches across the federation and subsequently make its position known.
FG Failed to meet the demands
Reacll that Dr. Ngige had assured Nigerians that the Federal Government would prevent another strike by university lecturers.
ASUU had, on Monday, November 6 issued a three-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its demands or risk a fresh shutdown of the universities.
The union accused the government of failing to implement the 2020 Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed before it called off its nine-month strike then.
However, Ngige, who spoke last night on Channels Television programme, Politics Today, assured the nation that the grievances of the lecturers would be addressed in the next two weeks.
The minister said the payment of the N30 billion revitalisation fund and N22.1 billion Earned Allowances would be made before the expiration of the ultimatum.
He said: “The strike will not happen because I know that the fund to be paid is there. The Federal Ministry of Education (FMoE) has assured me that by tomorrow (today), they will issue letters to make sure the disbursement reach the accounts of the various universities. We are not paying the unions directly. So, it will get to the universities’ accounts.”
The union accused the government of failing to implement the 2020 Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed before it called off its nine-month strike then.
However, Ngige, who spoke last night on Channels Television programme, Politics Today, assured the nation that the grievances of the lecturers would be addressed in the next two weeks.
The minister said the payment of the N30 billion revitalisation fund and N22.1 billion Earned Allowances would be made before the expiration of the ultimatum.
He said: “The strike will not happen because I know that the fund to be paid is there. The Federal Ministry of Education (FMoE) has assured me that by tomorrow (today), they will issue letters to make sure the disbursement reach the accounts of the various universities. We are not paying the unions directly. So, it will get to the universities’ accounts.”
