By John Ikani
After serious deliberations that dragged into the early hours of Monday, the National Executive Council, NEC, of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has voted to embark on a one-month warning strike to press home its demands from the government.
The union had been deliberating on whether to embark on a fresh strike or not at its National Executive Council meeting which was held at the University of Lagos.
The union had earlier said its resolution on the strike action would be announced at the end of its two-day meeting which started on Saturday, February 12, 2022.
Heritage Times gathered that the strike was aimed at pressing the Federal Government to heed to demands of the varsity lecturers which include the payment of Earned Academic Allowance, revitalization fund, the replacement of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS, with the University Transparency and Accountability System UTAS, among others.
A member of the union, who spoke to local media Vanguard said, “We just want to give the government a long rope hoping that it would see the need to avoid a total paralysis of academic activities in the nation’s universities. We are parents too and have our children in the system but we cannot watch and allow the total collapse of education in the country.
“Our agitation is in the interest of all and if the system is made better, we will all enjoy it. Prominent personalities in the country have waded into the matter but the government seems recalcitrant. Our National President would explain more when he briefs the press later today.
What you should know
The one-month warning strike declared by the varsity Lecturers comes just weeks after the President, Muhammadu Buhari pledged the commitment of his administration to fulfilling agreements with the union.
Mr Buhari made the promise when members of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) visited him to share thoughts with him on the lingering issues.
While making the pledge, Mr Buhari, however, pleaded with the union to exercise patience and consider current economic realities.
The last national strike by ASUU was in March 2020 and lasted till December when the Memorandum of Action (MoA) was signed.
However, a year after signing the MoA, ASUU accused the Government of failing to fulfil its side of the bargain and threatened to mobilise for another strike immediately.
The Government quickly moved to pay N55 billion as part-payment for the Earned Academic Allowance and Revitalisation Fund, but the union was unmoved until NIREC and other dignitaries waded in.
