Another ASUU strike looms as union issues 21-day notice to FG

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a 21-day notice to the Federal Government as the union prepares to embark on a warning strike.

ASUU issued the notice at the end of its NEC meeting, which was held at the University of Ibadan on Monday, August 19, 2024.

The notice followed the union’s initial strike threat over the non-implementation of agreements reached with the government.

Our agreement remains unimplemented - ASUU

In a bid to appease the union and avert the planned strike, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, recently invited ASUU leadership to a meeting in July to discuss issues affecting universities.

Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said the agreement between the union and the government remained unimplemented.

“At the meeting called by the Minister of Education, we agreed that after two weeks, we will meet to see the progress the government has made.

“We will also see what we will do next if the government fail to implement the agreements reached,” Osodeke said.

According to him, some of the demands included the non-implementation of the 2009 re-negotiated agreements.

He said the FG failed to implement the agreements, which according to him has lingered for over six years.

He added that the academic allowances due to their members had also accumulated for over six years, and nothing had been done about it.

“Since 2013, only one has been paid. We need revitalisation funds to upgrade our universities to standard so that we can have students and lecturers from outside the country,” he said.

Osodeke advised the government to stop the proliferation of universities, adding that many new universities were approved without funds to run them.