The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a 21-day notice to the Federal Government, threatening a nationwide strike over the non-implementation of the renegotiated 2009 agreement and other pressing issues affecting the university system.
The union, which met at the University of Ibadan over the weekend, resolved to put the Federal Government on notice before embarking on the planned industrial action.
ASUU had earlier threatened to go on an indefinite strike in July over the same issues, which include funding for the revitalization of public universities, university autonomy, and the proliferation of public universities.
Other contentious issues include the backlog of earned academic allowances amounting to N50 billion, withheld salaries of ASUU members across the country, and the continued use of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform for payment of salaries despite the Federal Executive Council’s directive to remove ASUU from the platform.
ASUU members are frustrated that despite the Minister of Education’s invitation for a meeting on June 26 to discuss the lingering issues, nothing substantial has been done to address their demands.
If the government fails to address these concerns within the 21-day notice period, ASUU will embark on a nationwide strike, which will likely disrupt academic activities in public universities across the country.
