LagosExplorer reports: The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced plans to embark on nationwide rallies across public universities next week as part of its warning to the Federal Government over unresolved demands.
The union’s president, Professor Christopher Piwuna, disclosed this in a statement issued after ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, which was held at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, between August 16 and 17.
Piwuna noted that the rallies would serve as a strong signal to the government and a prelude to industrial action if concrete steps are not taken to address lecturers’ concerns before the August 28 deadline.
He explained that ASUU has written several letters and made repeated appeals to the authorities, but the issues remain unattended to.
According to him, the union’s grievances include the failure of government to renegotiate the 2009 agreement, non-payment of outstanding salary arrears, poor funding of universities, and neglect of welfare for both serving and retired academic staff.
The president stressed that ASUU has exhausted all peaceful options and may have no choice but to resume strike action if the government continues to ignore its obligations.
The planned rallies are expected to take place simultaneously across campuses nationwide, with students and staff likely to be affected if the standoff persists.
History of Broken Promises
ASUU’s clash with the Federal Government is not new. In 2009, both parties signed a comprehensive agreement covering lecturers’ welfare, funding for infrastructure, and university autonomy. The deal was meant to transform the public university system, but successive administrations have failed to fully implement it.
The repeated neglect has fueled recurring strikes, including the eight-month industrial action in 2022, one of the longest in Nigeria’s history. That strike ended only after intense public outcry and interventions.
