ASUU extends strike by 12 weeks

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has extended its ongoing strike for another 12 weeks.

A statement signed by ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, noted the strike extension was to give the government enough time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.

It also stated that the roll-over strike was effective from 12.01 am on the 9th of May, 2021.

ASUU said it took this decision after its National Executive Council meeting.

The press release titled, Update on ASUU roll-over strike, read; “The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) held an emergency meeting on Sunday, 8th May 2022 at the Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja.

“After extensive deliberations, we have noted the Government’s failure to live up to its responsibilities. The government has also failed to address all the issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA). NEC has resolved an extension of the strike for another twelve weeks. This will give the Government more time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.

“The roll-over strike action is with effect from 12.01 a.m. on Monday, 9th May 2022.”

See also ASUU announces on next way of action as 3 months strike ends

The strike action followed the government’s failure to satisfactorily implement the Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed with the union in December 2020 on the renegotiation of:

2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement
deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS)
Earned Academic Allowances (EAA)
funding for revitalization of public universities (both Federal and state)
proliferation and governance issues in State Universities
promotion arrears, and other arising issues.

It added NEC disappointment that the three-man Committee set up by the President of Nigeria on 1st February 2022 to resolve the lingering issues between ASUU and FGN had not called a single meeting to date.

“NEC was equally disappointed that ASUU’s only meeting with the Professor Nimi Briggs-led Renegotiation Committee did not reflect the expected level of understanding, preparation and clarity that undergird collective bargaining going by the Committee’s confession of “going about consulting stakeholders”. Unless urgent steps are taken to redirect the Committee on concluding a draft Agreement that has been pending since May 2021, its activities may end up as another wild goose chase,” it read.