After a series of meetings that ended in deadlock, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has decided to extend its ongoing strike indefinitely.
The decision was taken after the National Executive Council meeting at the union’s headquarters at the University of Abuja on Monday morning.
ASUU had declared the commencement of a strike on Monday, February 14, 2022, in a NEC Meeting held at the University of Lagos.
Read also
- ASUU Rejects salary package as FG upholds no-work, no-pay policy
- Nigerian Public universities shut academic activities for another12 weeks – ASUU
- FG to appease ASUU members with N22.72b to avert strike— Ngige
The Industrial Action which was in its 6th will now go on without any time limit until all issues are resolved.
NEC decision
The union’s President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, stated the outcome of the NEC meeting in a statement on Monday titled, ‘ASUU strikes are to save public universities.’
In the statement, Osodeke said the NEC regretted that the union had experienced deceit of the highest level for over five years, adding that the government engaged ASUU in fruitless and unending negotiation without a display of fidelity.
The statement read, “In view of the foregoing, and following extensive deliberations on government’s response to the resolution of February 14, 2022, so far, NEC concluded that the demands of the union had not been satisfactorily addressed. Consequently, NEC resolved to transmute the roll-over strike to a comprehensive, total and indefinite strike action beginning from 12.01am Monday, August 29, 2022.
“NEC acknowledges with appreciation past and current efforts by eminent Nigerians and groups to mediate in the lingering crisis. Our union remains open to reasonable engagements as we have always done.
“However, ASUU remains focused on the full implementation of the December 23, 2020 Memorandum of Action for quick restoration of industrial harmony in Nigeria’s public universities.
“NEC noted with pains, its concerns for Nigerians students who are also our wards and foster children and condemned government’s seeming indifference to their plights. Were it within our control, our universities would never have been shut for one day.”
The remaining sticking point had been the decision of the Federal Government to implement the No work No Pay rule which had been in force in the Civil Service before now but was never enforced.
ASUU had faulted the government for failing to meet some lingering demands which led to the suspension of its strike in 2020.
The union blamed the government for the failure to release revitalization funds for universities, the failure to release the white paper report of the visitation panel to universities, and failure to deploy the University Transparency Accountability System to pay salaries and allowances of lecturers.
Other demands include renegotiating the ASUU-FG 2009 agreement and ending the proliferation of universities by state governments and lawmakers.
The strike by the union entered its 196th day Monday, August 29.
