UPDATE: ASUU Press Conference Ongoing, May Declare Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities will announce a decision on whether to embark on fresh industrial action soon.

The PUNCH gathered that majority of the lecturers have agreed on strike.

Members of the union’s National Executive Council held marathon meetings since Saturday at the University of Lagos.

As of the time of filing this report, ASUU members have converged on the Tayo Aderinokun Auditorium, Behind Faculty of Law, University of Lagos to announce the resolutions of the two-day meeting titled, ‘NEC for NEC.’

ASUU had sensitised and mobilised lecturers and students across all universities on the reason the union might likely go on strike.

Warning strike inevitable
A chairman of one of the branches, who preferred anonymity because he’s not in a position to speak, said the least consideration so far is a warning strike.

He explained that “ASUU is being considerate but the actions of the Federal Government are not helpful.

“The least consideration, for now, is a warning strike. Some of our branch representatives feel we should commence strike outrightly but others advised that apart from the lecture free-day declared, we should embark on another warning strike before the full, indefinite strike.”

Backgound
The union had expressed grievances over the failure of the Federal Government to fulfill some of the agreements it made as far back as 2009. ASUU had on November 15, 2021, given the federal government a three-week ultimatum over the failure to meet the demands.

The lecturers threatened to embark on another round of industrial action following the alleged “government’s unfaithfulness” in the implementation of the Memorandum of Action it signed with the union, leading to the suspension of the 2020 strike action.

After the union’s National Executive Council meeting at the University of Abuja on November 13 and 14, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, lamented that despite meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, on October 14, 2021, on issues, including funding for revitalisation 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 its demands had been met.

Following the threat, the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, promised that the union would be paid.

A few weeks after, ASUU suspended the planned strike, as N22.1 billion earned allowances were paid to lecturers in federal universities.

On the heels of the union’s renewed agitations, the co-chairmen of the National Inter-religious Council, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar III, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, visited the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), last month, over the lack of implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding the government signed with ASUU in 2009 and others.