The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if the government fails to address its long-standing demands, including the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement.
In a statement signed by its president, Christopher Piwuna, ASUU accused the Nigerian government of neglecting agreements and creating conditions that have left lecturers ‘forgotten, shamed, and demoralised.’
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Meanwhile, following delayed salaries in June, ASUU directed its members to down tools whenever the government fails to pay their salaries as and when due, describing it as a ‘no pay, no work’ policy.
However, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the government had perfected plans to ensure that workers’ unions in Nigerian tertiary institutions no longer embark on strike.
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Mr Alausa said industrial harmony would be achieved through dialogue, a good relationship with the heads of the unions as well as meeting the demands of the unions.
He said the demands of the workers’ unions are already being met to avert any possible industrial action.
“The president has directed that not again, not again ever in this country will ASUU or tertiary institutions, trade unions, teachers, lecturers go on strike,” Mr Alausa had said.
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ASUU Reacts
Reacting to the minister’s comments, the academic union said industrial harmony on campuses is dependent on the government acting on outstanding issues.
ASUU noted that the government has failed to honour several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Action (MoAs) signed in 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2020.
It added that the government has failed to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement for more than eight years.
ASUU said the last committee, chaired by the Pro-Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Yayale Ahmed, submitted its report eight months ago but the government has yet to sign it or begin the implementation.
The Yayale Ahmed-led committee, inaugurated in October last year, is the fourth committee handling the renegotiation since 2017.
The government has failed to implement each of the renegotiated agreements, resulting in industrial actions by the union in 2018, 2020 and 2022.
Wale Babalakin, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and the then pro-chancellor of the University of Lagos, led the renegotiation team constituted by the government from 2017 until his resignation as pro-chancellor in 2020.
In 2021, Munzali Jibril, an emeritus professor of English and then pro-chancellor for the Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, took over. With him, the negotiation fared relatively smoothly as his committee turned in a draft agreement in three months —May 2021. But the government never signed or implemented the agreement.
When the union embarked on another nationwide strike in 2022, the government constituted yet another committee –this time headed by the late Nimi Briggs, also an emeritus professor. The Briggs-led committee also renegotiated the 2009 agreement and submitted a draft to the government in June 2022.
It was never signed, forcing the 2022 strike action to last until October when an Industrial Court asked ASUU to suspend the strike after a suit was instituted against the union by the federal government.
‘Lecturers teaching on empty stomachs’
The union also criticised what it called the government’s ‘pick and choose’ approach to implementing agreements and described initiatives like the proposed ‘Diaspora Bridge’ to attract academics abroad as hypocritical without addressing local working conditions.
“Agents of government at the State and federal levels have characteristically thrown the underlying principles of the Agreement overboard and resorted to platitudes and tokenism.
“They discountenance the morale of intellectual workers and basic requirements for delivering on their mandate of teaching, research and (community) service,” the statement reads.
It described the conditions of its members as dire, citing unpaid entitlements, poor research facilities, and lack of teaching resources.
“Lecturers teach students on empty stomachs, conduct research in libraries and laboratories bereft of essential electronic and physical journals, books, chemicals and reagents. They engage with communities and agencies in rickety cars while encumbered by utility bills, children’s fees, house rents, family upkeep and a legion of other unmet responsibilities,” the statement reads.
The union added that despite all these circumstances, “elite Nigerians are quick to blame the universities for producing unemployable graduates.”
IPPIS, unpaid promotions
The statement also took aim at the government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), describing it as corruption-laden and accusing officials of punishing lecturers who opted out.
“They push academics to the point of a strike, and turn around to withhold their salaries,” the union said.
“A government introduces a corruption-laden IPPIS, yet goes ahead to punish lecturers for opting out of the pipeline of corruption.”
It added that many lecturers had been promoted without receiving the corresponding financial benefits for several years.
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