ASUU Meets, Decides On Planned Strike Saturday

The National Executive Council of the Academic Staff Union of Universities will on Saturday December 18th, meet with the zonal leaders of the union to decide on whether or not to embark on its planned industrial action.

This was disclosed by the ASUU's coordinator in charge of the Sokoto Zone, Jamilu Sheu at a press conference in Katsina on Wednesday, citing Federal Government’s failure to  implement agreements it reached with the union in December, 2020 ad reason for the proposed strike.

The Union Chairman at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Dr Gbenga Adeleye and his Tai Solarin University of Education counterpart, Dr. Kazeem Rufai, confirmed the proposed meeting to THE PUNCH, noting that it is imperative for the Federal Government to urgently implement the December 23, 2020 Memorandum of Action, MoA it signed with the union to avert the strike.

Sheu said that the Union will at the meeting determine its next line of action and called on all concerned parties to address the issues, adding that government at all levels must see the reason to treat education with the necessary priority it deserves.

“Our meeting next Saturday may determine our next line of action. Hence, we are calling on all concerned parties to urgently address these issues in line with the spirit and letters of the December 2020 MoA and the intervention of the Speaker, House of Representatives, and others, or risk industrial action.

“Both the federal and state governments should be impressed upon to accord the education sector the attention it deserves because that is the only, and of course surest way, that we can truly develop as a nation.”, Sheu said.

Parts of the Union's issues with the Federal Government, Sheu noted are the non-implementation of funding for the revitalisation of public universities, and non-payment and "mainstreaming of Earned Academic Allowances.”

Meanwhile, The minister of State for education Emeka Nwajiuba in an interview with The PUNCH however dismissed the allegation from ASUU that some public officers are attempting to kill public universities in the country, adding that government was making efforts to resolve the issues.