The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Abuja Zone, says it would soon embark on an indefinite strike to press home its demands due to failure by the government to meet with their agreements.
Dr Salahu Muhammed Lawal, the Coordinator, Abuja Zone of the Union, disclosed this during a press conference in Gwagwalada on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that ASUU embarked on an earlier strike over failure of the Government to address all the issues raised in the 2009 agreement it entered with the union.
The Union blamed the government for her refusal to implement the famous 7th February 2019 MoA which contained important highlights of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
Lawal said the union was not going into the signing of new agreement, neither new negotiation nor new memorandum of understanding/memorandum of action.
“Only an insensitive government would refuse to implement the noble proposals contained in that historic document. Here we are in 2022, more than one year since the suspension of the nine-month strike, still waiting on the FGN to do the needful.
“It is needless to say that our members are sick and tired of this manner and level of irresponsibility, insensitiveness and paying lip service to the education sector.
“Consequent upon the foregoing, our great Union has in the past one month undertaken a comprehensive review of the FGN’s handling of our welfare (where a Professor takes a gross salary of 416,000 naira only);
“As a follow up, ASUU has commenced a one week campus-by-campus mobilization, sensitization and conscientization of its members nationwide on the State of the Union viz a viz our cardinal demands and next line of action.
“Barring any last-ditch positive response from the FGN, therefore, we are well prepared to declaring a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike soonest,” He said.
However, he, also blamed failure by the government to implement the December 2020 MoA which signing ended the longest strike in the history of our nation.
Lawal further said, the impending strike was beyond any watered-down release of funding for the revitalization of public universities and beyond any devalued and staggered payment of earned academic allowances.
“We are not going into the signing of new agreement; neither new negotiation nor new memorandum of understanding / memorandum of action. We are at the point of reasonable action on the part of the government.
“We insist on immediate and full implementation of our demands as contained in the December, 2020 MOA. the immediate signing into law and implementation of the Renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement as submitted by the Munzali Jibril Committee in May 2021,” he said. (NAN)