The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned of a possible nationwide strike, accusing the Federal Government of failing to honour longstanding agreements on the revitalisation and proper funding of Nigeria’s public universities.
Speaking at a press conference held on Thursday at the University of Jos, ASUU President Dr. Christopher Piwuna said university lecturers have endured over two years of broken promises and government delay tactics.
Piwuna listed unresolved issues to include the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, outstanding salary arrears, withheld promotions, and the welfare of retired lecturers.
“The general public should also note that ASUU has written several letters to the FGN drawing its attention to the need to resolve this crisis amicably. Lamentably, the FGN has always turned a deaf ear to all our pleas,” the ASUU president said.
“As always, it is the FGN that has consistently pushed our union to embark on a strike action, and it is clear that ASUU may have no other option than to embark on an action to press the FGN to listen to our demands and do the needful
ASUU also criticised the unchecked establishment of new universities without adequate funding, warning that this trend is undermining educational quality and damaging global rankings
On pensions, the union lamented that professors who served for over 40 years now receive as little as ₦150,000 monthly, despite rising inflation and living costs.
The union said it will await the outcome of a government meeting scheduled for August 28 before deciding its next line of action. Still, it announced that members will stage rallies across campuses next week to demonstrate their frustrations.
Piwuna warned: “Time is running out. We cannot continue to wait endlessly while the future of nigerian universities is destroyed.”
With this latest warning, fears are growing that another round of ASUU strike may be imminent, further disrupting Nigeria’s fragile education system.
Post comments (0)