The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared the further extension of the continuous strike by about a month (4 weeks).
The association said the five-month-old strike would be extended by about a month, with effect from August 1, 2022.
Emmanuel Osodeke, the National leader of ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) reported this in an explanation gave on Monday in Abuja.
As per the assertion, the association said the Buhari-led government had acted insignificantly toward their requests. It expressed that the public authority has neglected to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 understanding.
The union requests is inclusive of the non-installment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), irregularities in installment with the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), among others.
Further statement by the union is found below
“The meeting was called to review advancements since NEC’s goal to extend its roll over strike activity by an additional 12 weeks beginning from May 9 2022,” ASUU said.
“The NEC meeting occurred against the background of government’s commitments as spelt out in the Memorandum of Action (MoA) it endorsed with ASUU on 23rd December 2020. In particular, NEC reviewed that government’s inability to conclude on renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, station the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), pay outstanding areas of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), disburse agreed amount of cash for the renewal of public universities (Federal and States), address proliferation and governance issues in State Universities, settle promotion unpaid debts, disburse withheld salaries of academics, and pay outstanding third-party deductions led to the initial declaration of the roll-over strike on the 14th February, 2022.
“NEC saw with reality the new mandate given by the President and Visitor to all Federal Universities that the Minister of Education, in conference with other government officials, ought to determine the waiting emergency and report to him in two weeks or less. The Union asks why it had required five entire months and unnecessary muscle-flexing for government to arrive at the place of understanding the requirement for legitimate commitment.
“NEC recognized the growing comprehension of the issues and the groundswell of help for the Union’s principled interest for a universally competitive university education in Nigeria. Nigerian universities should not be reduced to constituency projects that simply exist on paper and our scholars should be incentivized to remain back and do what they know best, here in Nigeria.
“NEC aplauded the nation wide protest of 26th and 27th July, 2022 coordinated by the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) in a joint effort with Civil Society Organizations (CSO) to additionally make awareness on the shenanigans of the Nigerian ruling class to obliterate public schooling. ASUU reestablishes its obligation to the battles of NLC in advocating the reason for the working and enduring Nigerians.
“NEC saw that non-signing of the draft renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement over one month after it was closed by Professor Nimi Briggs-led Committee is further entrusting the persistence of ASUU individuals across the country.
“NEC further saw that the on-going preliminary of the suspended Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Ahmed Idris, on charge of great misrepresentation has justified ASUU’s dismissal of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information (IPPIS). The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is charged to deliver reports of the most recent tests on the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) opposite IPPIS right away. ASUU will oppose any endeavor to shorten the sending of UTAS with all authentic means accessible to the Union.
“NEC noticed that aggregate detachment by the political class gave vent to unavoidable climate of frailty which presently compromises consistent arrangement of instructive administrations in the country. The matter-of-fact conclusion of instructive foundations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following the new assault on Presidential Guards, deceives a panicky measure to tending to a dangerous illness. Completely an extensive upgrade of the security engineering of the nation will reasonably resolve the issue.
“Following broad thoughts and taking cognisance of Government’s past disappointments to submit to its own courses of events in resolving issues brought up in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MOA), NEC settled that the strike be turned over for quite a long time to give Government additional opportunity to determine every one of the exceptional issues sufficiently. The turn over hit activity is with impact from 12.01a.m. on Monday, first August, 2022.”
