Why we’re resuming strike – ASUU
By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), says its members resolved to proceed on strike because of the non charlant attitude of the Federal Government towards resolving all contending issues between the union and the government.
According to Professor Abdulkadir Muhammad, ASUU Coordinator Kano-zone, the strike is avoidable if the government shows commitment to resolving the contentious issues.
“Over the past four years, our public universities have been in a state of industrial disharmony, leading to two costly and avoidable strike actions.
“Thought the nation had high hopes and expectations that the President Tinubu-led administration would swiftly resolve the contending issues that led to those strike actions, these hopes have been disappointingly dashed, resulting in seething discontents among our members whose patience has been overstretched.
“The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has made several concerted efforts to dialogue with government officials, including the President, with a view to addressing the outstanding issues in the agreement and the various memoranda signed between the Union and the Federal Government, unfortunately, the Tinubu administration, like Buhari’s, has been unyielding,” he said in a statement made available to The Syndicate on Sunday in Dutse.
The coordinator noted that the nonchalant attitude of the administration to ASUU’s “legitimate and reasonable demands”, compelled its National Executive Council to give a 21-day ultimatum to the federal government to address them.
He listed the demands to include the release of outstanding third-party deductions, such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions, revitalization funds of public universities, Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), and promotion arrears some dating back to 2016.
Others, he said, are the non-implementation of the reports of visitation panels to federal universities, refusal to deploy the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) software as a replacement for IPPIS, putting a stop to the proliferation of universities, and non payment of wage award to staff of state universities.
“Two years ago, ASUU made concerted efforts through notices, emissaries (involving religious and traditional rulers), and even warnings to avoid the strike action. Alas, all these were ignored.
“Consequently, ASUU had no option but to resume its strike suspended in 2020.”
Muhammad, however, said the administration “has a golden opportunity to avoid the impending industrial crisis by resolving the contentious issues amicably”.
The union urged all patriotic Nigerians to prevail on the government to faithfully implement the outstanding issues contained in the agreement and memorandums signed by both parties.
