The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), in Nigeria has reiterated its intent to declare a nationwide strike soon due to the federal government’s ongoing refusal to address the union’s demands, despite consistent appeals.
Speaking at a news conference at the University of Lagos on Tuesday, Prof. Adelaja Odukoya, the coordinator of ASUU’s Lagos zone, expressed the union’s mounting frustration over the government’s insensitivity to the plight of its members and the state of public universities. “The only saving grace that could stop us from embarking on the proposed industrial action is for the federal government to do the needful fast,” Odukoya stated.
This announcement follows ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, on May 11 and 12, 2024. During the meeting, the union assessed its engagements with state and federal governments over several months regarding issues such as the renegotiated 2009 Agreement, unpaid salaries and earned academic allowances (EAA), unremitted deductions by the controversial IPPIS, and the proliferation of universities.
Prof. Odukoya noted that many of these issues have remained unresolved for years, and criticized the government’s policies and actions, which he claimed have led to deteriorating conditions in universities and across the country. “NEC also had a critical review of government policies and actions that had led to the present deteriorated living and working conditions across the country and in our universities, particularly,” he said.
He dismissed the threat of a ‘no work, no pay’ rule by the government, arguing that such a policy is not recognized in global labor laws to which Nigeria is a signatory. Odukoya also criticized the newly-constituted governing councils for federal universities as illegal, urging the federal government to recall them to complete their tenures in accordance with the University Act.
Odukoya emphasized the need for proper funding of public universities rather than creating new ones, advocating for enhanced capacity and global competitiveness of existing institutions. “It is far better to enhance the capacity and access of these universities and make them globally competitive,” he said.
ASUU remains steadfast in its commitment to improving public university education in Nigeria, with Prof. Odukoya affirming that the union will continue its struggle for better conditions and support for the country’s educational system.
