The Tutorial Employees Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Nigerian authorities.
In a press release on Monday, ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, a professor, stated the choice was reached on the Nationwide Government Council (NEC) assembly held on the College of Abuja on Sunday, 28 September.
ASUU stated it has adopted a number of strategies of negotiating with the federal government, together with letters, reminders and protests, however none have labored.
“Accordingly, ASUU has given the Federal Authorities of Nigeria an Ultimatum of fourteen (14) days inside which to deal with these points,” the assertion stated.
“For the previous three months, ASUU has talked about these points at each the Nationwide, Zonal and Department ranges. For the previous three months, these points have been debated and combated within the media and different platforms.”
Ought to the federal government fail to deal with the problems on the finish of the 14-day ultimatum, the union stated it might first embark on a two-week warning strike and thereafter, a complete and indefinite strike.
A supply inside ASUU’s Nationwide Government Council (NEC) advised PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the federal authorities had requested a three-week grace interval as President Bola Tinubu was travelling for his annual go away in France.
Nevertheless, the grace interval has expired, and ASUU is but to listen to from the federal government.
The supply stated ASUU chapters had held a referendum and most had voted in favour of a strike motion, however the NEC determined to increase the grace interval by a further two weeks earlier than a strike motion.
Stalled renegotiation course of
Final month, the Minister of Schooling, Tunji Alausa, arrange a committee headed by the everlasting secretary of the ministry, Abel Enitan, to look into the draft settlement between ASUU and the Yayale Ahmed renegotiation committee submitted in February.
ASUU had accused the federal authorities of dragging its ft on implementing the draft renegotiated 2009 settlement submitted by the Yayale Ahmed committee in February.
The union stated the report was untouched for months till the federal government known as ASUU for a gathering on 11 August.
On 28 August, Mr Alausa introduced the Mr Enitan-led committee. Nevertheless, ASUU is saying it has but to listen to from the federal government since then.
ASUU’s calls for
In Monday’s assertion, ASUU listed its calls for to incorporate the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN settlement, revitalisation of universities, fee of three and a half months’ withheld salaries from 2022, and fee of promotional arrears of lecturers.
Others are: launch of the one-year arrears of the 25 and 35 per cent federal authorities wage-award to employees, sustainable funding of the schools, and victimisation of colleagues in Lagos State College and Kogi State College (now Prince Abubakar Audu College).
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The 2009 settlement is the crux of ASUU’s dispute with the Nigerian authorities, which has lasted over a decade.
The settlement, first signed in 2009, covers Nigerian lecturers’ circumstances of service and wage construction, which ASUU complained had remained the identical thus far.
The settlement additionally included a clause that the Nigerian authorities would spend N1.2 trillion in 5 tranches of N200 billion yearly on the schools from 2009 to 2015. Solely N200 billion has thus far been launched.
It additionally included autonomy for the schools, which ASUU argues is being eroded with the introduction of a centralised fee platform of the Built-in Personnel Payroll Info System (IPPIS).
The settlement additionally features a provision for renegotiation each 4 years. That renegotiation has not been accomplished because the first settlement was signed.
