Due to the ‘Government’s failure to live up to its duties,’ the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has prolonged its ongoing strike for another 12 weeks.
This was confirmed in a statement published and signed by its President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, on Monday following the National Executive Council meeting at the University of Abuja’s Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat.
The decision was made to give the government adequate time to resolve any outstanding issues, according to the organization. The roll-over strike began at 12:01 a.m. on May 9, 2021.
Why are we continuing the strike? – ASUU
“After extensive deliberations, noting the Government’s failure to live up to its responsibilities and promptly address all issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA) within the additional eight-week roll–over strike period declared on 14th March 2022, the NEC resolved that the strike be rolled over for twelve weeks to give Government more time to satisfactorily resolve all outstanding issues,” it said.
“The roll-over strike will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, May 9th, 2022.” The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUUNational )’s Executive Council (NEC) held an emergency meeting on Sunday, May 8, 2022 at the Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, Abuja.
The meeting was held to discuss events after the Union launched an eight-week total and comprehensive roll-over strike at the end of its emergency NEC meeting on March 14, 2022 at the Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, Abuja. The strike followed the government’s failure to implement the Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed with the union in December 2020 on the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), funding for the revitalization of public universities (both Federal and State), proliferation and governance issues in State Universities, and promotion.
It said that the three-man Committee set up by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on February 1, 2022 to resolve the outstanding issues between ASUU and the FGN has yet to convene.
“NEC was also dissatisfied that ASUU’s lone meeting with the Renegotiation Committee, led by Professor Nimi Briggs, did not reflect the desired degree of understanding, preparedness, and clarity that underpin collective bargaining, based on the Committee’s admission of “engaging stakeholders.” It noted that “unless immediate efforts are taken to reorient the Committee’s activities toward finishing a draft Agreement that has been pending since May 2021, its operations may end up becoming another wild goose chase.”
