Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities will settle decision on an impending strike at the end of a continuous conference at the University of Lagos.

A chairman of among the branches, who preferred privacy because he’s not in a position to speak, stated the least consideration up until now is a warning strike.

He discussed that “ASUU is being thoughtful but the actions of the Federal Government are not useful”.

“The least factor to consider, for now, is a warning strike. Some of our branch agents feel we must start strike outrightly but others encouraged that apart from the lecture free-day declared, we ought to embark on another alerting strike before the complete, indefinite strike.”

Asked what will be the next action after the warning strike, he replied, “The NEC will figure out. But it is either we hold another branch congresses or we embark on the complete strike if the federal government is not upcoming. The resolution of the ongoing conference will determine.”

The PUNCH had actually reported that members of the National Executive Committee of ASUU are satisfying at UNILAG to finalise the union’s decision on an impending strike.

ASUU is expected to make the final decision on the strike by ballot, however The PUNCH gathered that no ballot has actually been held yet.

When gotten in touch with on the telephone, the Chairperson of UNILAG ASUU, Dele Ashiru, said, “NEC meeting still continuous.”

Backgound

The union had revealed grievances over the failure of the Federal Government to satisfy a few of the arrangements it made as far back as 2009. ASUU had on November 15, 2021 provided the federal government a three-week demand over the failure to fulfill the needs.

The speakers threatened to embark on another round of commercial action following the alleged “government’s unfaithfulness” in the execution of the Memorandum of Action it signed with the union, causing the suspension of the 2020 strike action.

After the union’s National Executive Council meeting at the University of Abuja on November 13 and 14, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, lamented that despite meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, on October 14, 2021, on problems, consisting of funding for revitalisation of public universities, made scholastic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution; promo defaults, renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, and the inconsistencies in Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System Payment, none of its demands had actually been satisfied.

Following the threat, the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, guaranteed that the union would be paid.

A few weeks after, ASUU suspended the planned strike, as N22.1 billion earned allowances was paid to speakers in federal universities.

On the heels of the union’s restored agitations, the co-chairmen of the National Inter-religious Council, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar III, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, went to the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), last month, over the absence of implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding the federal government signed with ASUU in 2009 and others.

ToriNG