The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal and State Governments to address all the “outstanding issues” hindering the development of universities across the country.
The ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, announced the ultimatum at a press conference held at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike in Abia State on Wednesday, August 21, 2024.
Osodeke said the press conference was to inform the public of the outcome of the ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held between August 17 and August 18 at the University of Ibadan (UI) in the Oyo State capital.
He said the union would reconvene at the expiration of the 21 days’ notice to take appropriate decision(s) as deemed necessary.
The ASUU President noted that the NEC condemned in strong terms the seeming refusal by the federal and state governments to decisively address all the issues being raised by the union.
Osodeke added that ASUU also rejected the “slow pace of the intervention” by the Minister of Education in resolving those issues.
According to him, the issues involve the review and signing of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement and impactful funding, including the Emergency Revitalisation Fund for public universities.
ASUU mulls strike, says FG yet to implement agreements
They also include the payment of outstanding earned academic allowances, release of withheld salaries, promotion arrears, and third-party deductions of ASUU members.
Osodeke stated: “Other issues include stoppage of illegal recruitments, proliferation of public universities and abuse of universities’ laws, regulations and processes.
“There is also an issue of removal of the universities from the Treasury Single Account and new IPPIS vis-a-vis to herald the autonomy of our universities.”
The ASUU boss noted that the NEC received “alarming reports” on the failed promises of the government in addressing the lingering issues that forced the union to embark on the nationwide strike from February to October 2022.
Meanwhile, Osodeke said the union has declared Tuesday, September 10, 2024, as a ‘Victimised Lecturers’ Day’.
“The day would be used to solidarise with ASUU members unjustly persecuted across the nation’s universities,” Osodeke stated.
He added that ASUU would use the day to register its displeasure with the avoidable labour-management crises at the Lagos State University, Kogi State University, Federal University of Technology, Owerri in Imo State, and others.
Osodeke said the union rejected the federal government’s recent move to divert the Tertiary Education Trust Fund’s (TETFund) intervention grants to the Student Education Loan Scheme.
The ASUU President stated that the move was antithetical to the original intendment of the law establishing the Education Tax Fund, which now operates as TETFund.
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