Since February 14th, ASUU has been going on a warning strike, giving the Nigerian federal government, 2 weeks warning strike, extending the warning strike, 1-month warning strike, etc. From that warning strike action taken by the striking Union, the ASUU strike is now 198 days old and still counting.
However, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) union has declared a comprehensive, total and indefinite strike action beginning on Monday, August 29, 2022. Like this is the real deal.
Speaking on this Official STRIKE action declared by the striking lecturers, the ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke announced this in a statement on Monday night, the 29th of August, after the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Union held in FCT Abuja.
The ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke said:
“After a long and careful consideration, extensive deliberations on the Nigerian Federal Government’s response to the resolution of 14th February, 2022 so far, The National Executive Council (NEC) has come to the conclusion that the demands of the Union had not been satisfactorily addressed and is not given the utmost attention it deserves. As a result of this lackadaisical attitude from the federal government, the National Executive Council (NEC) resolved to transmute the roll-over strike to a comprehensive, total and indefinite strike action beginning from 12.01a.m. on Monday, 29th August, 2022.”
For Nigerians who were not aware, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) announced that they will be holding an emergency meeting in Abuja, to discuss the fate of Nigerian students affected by this strike action. This meeting took place at the Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, on Sunday, 28th August 2022. The major aim of this meeting was to review developments since its last resolution that rolled over the nationwide strike action for another four weeks starting from 1st August, 2022.
“Through thorough review of how this case was handled, NEC discern with shock and regret that the Union had experienced a lot of deceit of the highest level in the last five and half years as the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) engaged ASUU in fruitless and unending negotiation without having a viable solution to meet the agreement. In 2017, the Federal Government constituted a committee to renegotiate the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement under the chairmanship of Dr. Wale Babalakin. After three years of fruitless negotiation, Dr. Babalakin was replaced in December 2020 with Professor Emeritus Munzali Jibril.
“Afterwards, some miserable, unilateral, and insulting take-it or-leave-it offers of between N30, 000 and N60,000 monthly salary was given to the union as an offer, an offer of what? Is it an insult to the Union or academic in Nigeria? This was obviously an attempt to abrogate the principle of collective bargaining which has guided ASUU engagements with Federal Government since 1981.
“One thing we couldn’t help but notice is the utter disdain with which the current Minister of Education in Nigeria did handled questions about the ongoing ASUU strike at his distasteful Press Conference on Thursday, 18th August, 2022. Through that the distasteful press conference, one couldn’t help but notice how it lends credence to the widespread suspicion that the current Government never believed in saving public universities from the misfortunes that have befallen Nigeria’s public primary and secondary schools.”
We hope that the ASUU Strike is quickly resolved and Students return back to their classrooms. We pray for wisdom between the striking Union and the federal government, to reach a common ground that will provide a viable solution to last a long time.
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