The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, warning of a potential nationwide strike if their demands remain unmet.
This decision was reached during the union’s National Executive Council meeting held over the weekend at the University of Ibadan.
Although the union has yet to officially announce its stance, a senior ASUU member in Abuja revealed that the lecturers have resolved to notify the Federal Government of their intention to strike if their grievances are not addressed within the 21-day window.
This ultimatum follows a previous warning from ASUU in July, where the union threatened an indefinite strike over the government’s failure to implement the renegotiated 2009 agreement. ASUU has been in a long-standing dispute with the Federal Government regarding issues such as the funding for the revitalization of Nigerian public universities and the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement.
Speaking during a press briefing in Damaturu, Yobe State, ASUU Gashua branch Chairman Melemi Abatcha highlighted the major challenges plaguing the education sector. These include inadequate funding for the revitalization of public universities, outdated infrastructure, insufficient accommodation for students and staff, and poorly equipped laboratories and libraries.
“Despite the Federal Executive Council’s directive in December 2023 to remove ASUU from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), members are still being paid through this controversial platform,” Abatcha stated.
Additional concerns include the need for university autonomy, the proliferation of public universities, the backlog of earned academic allowances amounting to N50 billion, and the withheld salaries of ASUU members across the country for three and a half months.
In response to ASUU’s mounting dissatisfaction, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, convened a meeting with the union on June 26 to discuss the ongoing issues affecting universities. However, ASUU members report that little progress has been made in addressing their demands since that meeting.
