…Warns Of Possible Resumption Of Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has siad that the Federal Government should be held responsible for nay shut down of the nation’s public universities, even as it threatened to resume its suspended strike over non-payment of salaries and alleged victimisation of members.

Giving the hint of possible shut down of universities, the chairman, University of Ibadan branch of ASUU, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, in a statement on Sunday asked Nigerians to blame the Federal Government if universities are shut down again.

Decrying that despite agreeing to ASUU’s condition before the strike was suspended on December 24, 2020, Prof Akinwole said that many lecturers are still being owed salaries of between two and 10 months.

Recall that ASUU had called off its nine-month strike after the Federal Government agreed to its conditions.

However, within two weeks of the conditional suspension of the nine-month strike embarked upon by ASUU, the Federal Government reportedly flouted the agreements.

As at December 31, 2020, just a week after the call off of the strike, it was learnt that the Federal Government had failed to fulfil three of the agreements reached with the union.

The agreements the Federal Government failed to fulfil include: the payment of six months salaries, including December 2020 salaries, owed the lecturers.

While over 100 lecturers were said not to receive payments for the two months at the University of Ibadan, lecturers in some universities received nothing since February 2020.

Akinwole said, “While ASUU as a union, and her members as individuals in various branches have remained faithful to this agreement by returning to classes and performing their respective duties, the Federal Government, true to type, has reneged on its part

“Contrary to Federal Government’s affirmation of its commitment to pay all withheld salaries of ASUU members, who have not enrolled in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll InformationSystem, IPPIS, three months after the suspension of the strike, thousands of ASUU members across various branches are still being owed salaries.

“Instead of deploying the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, software developed by ASUU, which has been adjudged effective for payment of salaries, some of our members are still being denied their salaries and others are being coerced by agents of the government to register on the repressive IPPIS for payment of salaries.

“The union and her members are made to suffer from all the aforementioned attacks by the Federal Government, while the public expects our members, some of who now live on the charity of family members and colleagues for survival, to use their personal resources to discharge their duties diligently in the universities.

“These harsh conditions would have terrible consequences on public tertiary education in Nigeria and when push eventually comes to shove, as it definitely will in no distant future, the Nigerian public should accordingly blame the Federal Government for its insincerity.

“Blame the Federal Government of Nigeria if the universities are shut down again.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here