…Non-Academic Staff Sets for Protests.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced an upcoming meeting with the Federal Government scheduled for July 25, 2024, to address unresolved demands. This announcement comes as non-academic staff members of universities prepare for a one-day protest on Tuesday, following withheld salaries.
The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, confirmed the meeting in a phone interview on Sunday, stating that July 25 was the agreed implementation date for the timeline set with the Federal Government. For several weeks, ASUU chapters across various campuses have been engaging in protests, joined by students, threatening further industrial action if the government fails to fulfill its promises.
ASUU recently published an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, demanding the full implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federal Government since 2009. Prof. Osodeke emphasized the positive outcome of the protests, which led to the Federal Government scheduling a meeting and setting a timeline to address some of the promises.
“We have met with the Minister of Education and reached a timeline. They made promises to us and we want to watch if it would be done. We are meeting two weeks from today, July 25th, to see if they have done what they promised. The protest made them call us for a meeting; they should fulfill their promise,” Osodeke said.
The letter, dated June 20, 2024, highlighted the issues that compelled Nigerian academics to embark on a nationwide strike on February 14, 2022, due to the government’s inaction. Osodeke outlined ten major issues, including the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU Agreement based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s draft Agreement of 2021. Other issues include the release of withheld three and a half months’ salaries from the 2022 strike, unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical leave, and outstanding third-party deductions.
Further demands involve funding for the revitalization of public universities, Earned Academic Allowances, the proliferation of universities by federal and state governments, implementation of visitation panel reports, the illegal dissolution of Governing Councils, and the University Transparency and Accountability Solutions (UTAS) to replace the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
“Your Excellency is requested to set necessary machinery in motion for bringing ASUU and major stakeholders (Ministries, Departments, and Agencies) together to address the outstanding issues in FGN/ASUU engagements since 2009. This will save our university system the agonies of another round of industrial action and its disruptive potential,” Osodeke said.
Meanwhile, non-academic staff members, under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), have declared a one-day protest on Tuesday, with a nationwide protest planned for July 18, 2024. The protest is in response to their withheld four-month salaries and collapsed negotiations with government officials.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU issued a circular, jointly signed by NASU General Secretary Peters Adeyemi and SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim, directing all branches to hold a mandatory general meeting on July 8, 2024, to sensitize members about the government’s insensitivity to their plight.
As the academic and non-academic unions continue their efforts to address their demands, the upcoming weeks will be crucial in determining the future stability of Nigeria’s university system. The outcomes of the meetings and protests will significantly impact the educational landscape and the welfare of university staff across the country.