ASUU declares readiness for another nationwide strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced the readiness of its members to embark on another nationwide strike if the Federal Government fails to implement the Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed with the union in 2021.

ASUU made this known in a statement issued by the Chairman and Secretary of the union in the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Dr Biodun Olaniran, and Dr. Toyin Abegunrin respectively on Monday.

ASUU said the agreement the Federal Government signed with the union since 2009 has not been implemented till date.

The union added that its members across the country had resolved to embark on another indefinite strike if the Federal Government fails to accede to its demands within a certain period of time.

It stated: “Our union, ASUU, is using this medium to call upon the Federal Government of Nigeria once again to implement the agreement it signed with ASUU. It is unfortunate to mention that the FG signed an agreement with the ASUU since 2009, but the agreement is not implemented till date.

“The agreement was renegotiated in the name of peace. But to our dismay, the government has refused to sign the renegotiated agreement. In order to make the implementation of the agreement easy for the FG, the union has limited its demand to only three.

“These include the signing/implementation of the renegotiated agreement of 2009; and the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Software instead of the controversial IPPIS,” the statement read in part.

Meanwhile, the ASUU Chairman in Kwara State University, Malete, Dr. Salau Sheu, has alleged that the Federal Government was trying to dodge its responsibility by directing ministers to oversee the implementation of the Memorandum of Action (MoA).

Shehu, who stated that ASUU will have its National Executive Council meeting at the University of Lagos on February 12 and 13, said it was wrong for President Muhammadu Buhari to assign two ministers to oversee the implementation of the MoA signed with the union last year.

He said: “It is wrong for President Muhammadu Buhari to assign two ministers to oversee the implementation of the Memorandum of Action signed last year with ASUU. First, the assigned ministers are not part of the agreement. Only the ministers of Finance and Education were part of the agreement. The Federal Government is trying to take away university autonomy through its designed programmes and it is trying to shy away from implementing the resolutions of the negotiations.

“ASUU is having its National Executive Council meeting at the University of Lagos on February 12 and 13. If nothing is done by the government between now and then, the lecturers may go on strike.”

TheStar