ASUU meets today, decides on strike action

The National Executive Council of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced that it will be meeting on Sunday evening, March 13, for a review of its ongoing one month total and comprehensive warning strike, which is coming one day to its expiration.

The crucial meeting which is slated to hold in Abuja will likely be for the declaration of a possible total, indefinite and suffocating strike.

This disclosure is contained in a tweet post on Sunday, March 13, by ASUU on its official Twitter handle, where the current strike action and other matters affecting the lecturers’ union will be discussed.

The tweet post from ASUU reads, ‘’ASUU Executives will be meeting this evening for declaration of a possible total, indefinite and suffocating strike.’’

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Based on feelers and utterances of ASUU officials, it is quite unlikely that the union will back down on their industrial action but will rather extend the strike as there had not been any positive development since talks with the federal government started.

The Chairman of ASUU UNICAL chapter, John Edor, had about 6 days ago insisted that the only option it is left with, in its dispute with the Federal Government is to continue with the strike action until all issues raised by it are resolved.

This is coming after ASUU had earlier condemned President Muhammadu Buhari for his decision to donate $1 million to Afghanistan at a time university lecturers are on strike and vowed not to enter into any renegotiation with the Federal Government over their disagreements.

The National President of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, was reported to have said on Saturday that nothing tangible has been done so far after meeting twice with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, accusing the government of lack of will and lack of interest in the public university system.

READ ALSO: ASUU Strike: Confusion hits Ebonyi chapter

Recall that ASUU, on February 14, embarked on a 4-week total and comprehensive strike to press home their unresolved demands on the federal government.

Some of the lecturers’ demands include funding for the revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution and promotion arrears.

Others are the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, and the inconsistencies in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

There have been accusations and counter-accusations between the federal government and ASUU as the blame game has continued since the latter went on strike as they both accuse each other of insincerity.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, had in an earlier update, said that the federal government had so far paid over N92 billion as earned allowances and revitalisation fees to federal owned universities across the country.

The Federal Government had a few days ago insisted that UTAS, having failed the required tests, was unfit to be used as a payment platform. ASUU, however, accused the government of being unwilling to accept its alternative to the IPPIS.