ASUU May Resume Strike Actions Over N23bn, Other Failed Promises

ASUU May Resume Strike Actions Over N23bn, Other Failed Promises
ASUU May Resume Strike Actions Over N23bn, Other Failed Promises

ASUU May Resume Strike Actions Over N23bn, Other Failed Promises

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other university unions in Nigeria may be embarking on another round of strike actions following the alleged failure of the federal government to fulfill its promises.

While ASUU is believed to have scheduled a meeting for a date between November 10 and 12 to review its agreement with the government, the non-academic staff unions are set to hold meetings this week at which a decision on whether or not to resume an industrial action will be taken.

The Nigerian government has been accused of breaching its promise to provide a certain amount of money to bridge the shortfall in salaries, pay Earned Academic Allowances, promotion allowances, and funding of the Universities among others.

In September, ASUU suspended its month-long strike after the government promised to make the funds available before the end of October. There are however indications that nothing has been paid from the amount promised by the government.

ASUU President Biodun Ogunyemi told newsmen there had been talks of certain sums being approved by government but that the union would only believe such talks when payment is made.

We have something we submitted that we worked on together with the ministry’s officials. So we expect that they pay, it is when they pay we can believe they have approved,” Ogunyemi said.

A source within the lecturers’ union also faulted an alleged plan by the government to split the sum of N23 billion promised ASUU between the union and other unions.

Even the N23 billion that was supposed to be meant for ASUU, we learnt that they decided that money will now be for both Academic and Non Academic staff. So, we rejected that, saying that the money must be for ASUU alone and that they should look for money for the non academic staff,” he said, adding that the union leaders were ‘very angry’ with the government and would discuss resuming the suspended strike as the first item on the agenda at the next meeting.

The chairman of the Joint Action Committee, comprising Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Comrade Samson Ugokwe, while lamenting that the agreement had not been implemented also said a decision would be reached before the end of the week.

According to The Nation, the government promised to release about N220 billion to the universities not later than October 2017 to fund the revitalisation of federal universities and the payment of the shortfall in their salaries as well as payment of earned allowances.

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