Chinedum Elekwachi
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to withdraw its services if federal government refused taking definitive stance on report from the renegotiation committee of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
The academic body issued the threat in a statement dated Friday, 8 August in response to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa’s claim that no trade unions in the education sector including ASUU would not go on strike again under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The statement personally signed by ASUU President Christopher Piwuna warned that the only way to avert an industrial strike was to comprehensively address the union’s demands in the shortest possible time.
According to ASUU, several government-appointed committees have reviewed the renegotiated agreement. The most recent committee, chaired by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, submitted its report eight months ago.
In its statement titled “Act Now to Avert the Looming Crisis,” ASUU said its members were not just unhappy, but teaching students on empty stomachs and conducting research in libraries and laboratories without essential electronic and physical journals, books, chemicals, and reagents.
Condition for peace in varsities
ASUU insisted there can be no peace on public university campuses nationwide unless the government acts on the outstanding issues.
It addressed several lingering problems with the government, including the unimplemented agreement, poor welfare conditions for lecturers, the exodus of union members abroad due to harsh working conditions, and the proliferation of universities.
The statement reiterated ASUU’s demands and highlighted the dissatisfaction among lecturers.
The statement reads in part: “Feelers from campuses across the country indicate that lecturers in Nigerian public universities are, to put it mildly, unhappy. They teach students on empty stomachs.
“They conduct research in libraries and laboratories lacking essential electronic and physical journals, books, chemicals, and reagents.
“They engage with communities and agencies using rickety cars, burdened by utility bills, children’s school fees, house rents, family upkeep, and a host of other unmet responsibilities.
“Yet elite Nigerians are quick to blame the universities for producing unemployable graduates and failing to initiate innovative research to solve the country’s problems.
“Our members feel forgotten, shamed, and demoralized by past and present governments.”
