ABUJA, Nigeria—The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, is once again at an impasse with the Nigerian government. The union’s demands remain unmet, raising the spectre of another strike that could disrupt the country’s public universities.
ASUU had issued a warning that if the federal government failed to fulfill its commitments by Friday, it would take industrial action.
However, 48 hours before the deadline, no communication has been received from the government, according to an ASUU executive who spoke with an online news outlet on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.
“The federal government has not reached out, there is nothing yet,” the ASUU official said.
This looming crisis stems from a series of unmet government promises, a situation ASUU says has continued to destabilize the public university system.
In a statement, ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke accused the Bola Tinubu administration of lacking commitment to resolving the issues.
“The non-fulfillment of the government’s promises has been fuelling a crisis in the public university system,” Osodeke said.
ASUU had initially given the government a 21-day ultimatum but has extended it by another 14 days, starting on September 23, 2024.
The union insists that the government must resolve the outstanding issues within this period, or the nation’s universities may face another disruption.
“In view of the foregoing, ASUU resolves to give the Nigerian Government another 14 days, in addition to the earlier 21 days, beginning from Monday, September 23, 2024, during which all the lingering issues must have been concretely addressed to the satisfaction of the membership of the union,” the ASUU statement read.
“The union should not be held responsible for any industrial disharmony that arises from the government’s failure to seize the new opportunity offered by ASUU to nip the looming crisis in the bud,” ASUU added.
ASUU’s Key Demands
The current standoff between ASUU and the government centers around several key issues, many of which have been unresolved for years.
These include the implementation of a 2021 agreement, the release of unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments, which were affected by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and the payment of outstanding third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions.
Additionally, ASUU is demanding funding for the revitalization of public universities, an issue that has been partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government Budget.
The union is also seeking the payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), which have similarly been included in the 2023 budget.
ASUU Nsukka Zone Issues Statement
In a related development, ASUU’s Nsukka Zone issued a public statement on Wednesday, warning that the union should not be blamed if it embarks on another strike.
Zonal Coordinator Raphael Amokaha accused the government of failing to address the union’s long-standing grievances.
“The issues that were in contention at that time were the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement, poor funding of our universities, the forceful usurpation of the duties of university bursary departments by the Integrated Personnel Payment Information System (IPPIS), and the non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), which is included in the 2023 budget,” Amokaha said.
Amokaha likened the current situation to the protracted 2022 strike, during which Nigerian universities were closed for several months.
He suggested that the government’s attitude towards ASUU might be based on a “delusional sense of conquest” over the union, referencing recent campaign promises made by the administration.
“This attitude, unfortunate in its nonchalance, may be inspired by a delusional sense of conquest over ASUU. Why else would a government treat the cries and appeals of an intellectual union with such disdain and levity, especially coming in the wake of campaign promises that are still so fresh?” Amokaha asked.
As the Friday deadline approaches, tension mounts within the academic community, with many fearing a repeat of the disruptions caused by past strikes.
ASUU has stressed that the union has made every effort to avoid another shutdown, but without meaningful government engagement, the likelihood of industrial action looms larger by the day.
