The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has scheduled a stakeholders’ meeting for Sunday, August 28th 2022. This assembly would determine whether or not the university lecturers’ union would suspend the ongoing strike.
Driving the news
ASUU’s NEC would decide the fate of the strike following an independent meeting by branch chairmen and state congresses. The university stakeholders would consider the federal government’s proposed offer.
Quick catch-up
ASUU has been on strike for over six months following the federal government’s failure to address the university’s union demands. The lectures union demanded for a:
“Renegotiation of the ASUU-FGN 2009 agreement; release of revitalization funds for universities; deployment of the University Transparency Accountability System for the payment of salaries and allowances of university lecturers; release of earned allowances; and the release of the white paper report of the visitation panels to universities.”
State of play
The spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong speaking in relation to the ongoing strike, said the ministry had addressed 80% of the demands by the university unions. He listed that:
- The federal government had inaugurated a committee to integrate all the payment systems (IPPIS, UTAS and UP3), harmonizing their peculiarities.
- Over a 10 years period, the federal government has paid ASUU a total of N2.5 trillion. This is more than the amount the 2009 agreement stated.
- The federal government is also attending to the salary adjustments identified by ASUU.
What this means
Although there are still tie breakers such as the “no work no pay policy”, there is a good chance that ASUU might suspend the ongoing strike come Sunday if the federal government has truly addressed 80% of the unions demand.