Ighomuaye Lucky. O
The Benin Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), said it is in full solidarity with its national body in the extension by two weeks the ultimatum given to the federal government to address its lingering crises and failure, will lead to an industrial action.
The ASUU Benin zone said this while speaking on what he tagged “The looming industrial crisis in Nigeria’s public universities: Hold government responsible at emergency meeting held at the University of Benin, Benin City.
Recall that following its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the University of Ibadan on August 17-18, 2024, the Union gave the government a 21-day ultimatum to address these issues.
However, after reviewing the government’s response on September 19, 2024, the Union noted that the government had failed to fully address the concerns within the stipulated time frame.
Consequently, the Union granted an additional 14 days, starting from September 23, 2024.
The Benin Zone Coordinator of ASUU, Prof. Monday Igbafen, in a statement made available to journalists in Benin, urged the Nigerian public, particularly critical stakeholders in the university system, to hold the government accountable for any potential paralysis resulting from industrial action if the demands remain unaddressed after the additional 14 days.
Igbafen said the key issues in contention are: Renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s Draft Agreement of 2021; release of withheld salaries due to the 2022 strike action; release of unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments affected by IPPIS; release of outstanding third-party deductions; funding for public university revitalization; payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA); proliferation of universities by federal and state governments; implementation of visitation panels’ reports; illegal dissolution of Governing Councils, and deployment of University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a replacement for IPPIS.
He said the Union condemned the government’s repeated failure to conclude the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU Agreement, which has lingered for over seven years adding that this failure may exacerbate crises in public universities.
