The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued an appeal to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to promptly release the eight months’ worth of withheld salaries owed to its members.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

These salaries were withheld as a consequence of what the union referred to as the “2022 patriotic strike action,” which was initiated due to the government’s failure to uphold agreements previously established with the Union.

The academic union expressed its strong concerns over the prolonged non-payment of salaries, spanning nearly eight months, that have been withheld from university educators as a consequence of the aforementioned strike action….CONTINUE READING

The strike action was prompted by the government’s inability to implement the December 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA) and its subsequent discontinuation of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement.

ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, conveyed these sentiments through a statement on Thursday, highlighting that the prolonged withholding of salaries lacked justification.

Osodeke reiterated that applying the “No-Work-No-Pay” policy to academics was unjustifiable. He emphasized that only the teaching aspect of academics’ responsibilities was suspended during the strike action.

During the ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, from August 19th to 20th, 2023, the union also expressed its dissatisfaction with the dissolution of the Governing Councils of Federal Universities by President Tinubu.

ASUU contended that this action contravened the existing laws that establish these institutions. Consequently, the union called for the reinstatement of Council members to ensure the smooth operation of universities.

The NEC meeting addressed various issues impacting the Nigerian University System (NUS), and ASUU urged President Tinubu to initiate measures to expedite the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement.

This recommendation was based on the guidance provided by the Professor Nimi Briggs Committee, aimed at restoring the integrity of the Nigerian University System.

The union acknowledged that while the strike was suspended through interventions by key figures such as Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (then Hon. Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, now Chief of Staff to the President and Visitor to Federal Universities) and other concerned Nigerians, academics persevered despite the challenging economic circumstances.

In a portion of the statement, ASUU’s message reads, “NEC applauded the steadfastness, resilience, and determination exhibited by Nigerian academics in navigating through the economic, social, and emotional challenges they faced due to the unpaid salaries.

NEC attributed ASUU’s past strike actions to the consistent failure of successive governments to uphold Agreements and Memoranda achieved through the Collective Bargaining principle as endorsed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and integrated into Nigeria’s labor laws.”