Richard Ginika Izuora
The National leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a two-week warning strike in all public universities with effect from Monday, March 9.
This strike was declared by the President of ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, in Enugu. It comes after the Union’s two-day National Executive Council meeting.
He explained that Nigerian universities were under ceaseless siege, a situation that needed to be addressed.
Ogunyemi explained that the essence of the industrial action was to force the Federal Government to take action on the pending issues.
He further lamented that ASUU members in federal institutions were yet to be paid their February salaries.
According to him, this is because of the issue of Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information Service (IPPIS); adding that they needed to let the Federal Government know that enough was enough.
“In our previous meetings, the Minister of Finance was solely concerned about IPPIS to the point that other issues were not addressed,” he stated.
The ASUU President, however, said that the Union would reconvene; if nothing was done at the expiration of the two-week strike to determine the next line of action.
Earlier in February, ASUU had raised the alarm over the current move by the FG to trample upon its rights and the “dilution” of academic ranks of its members across the country’s universities.
This led to the inauguration of a panel by the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Folasade Yemi Esan.
This was to review the rights and dilution of ranks of academics Nigerian universities.
The union, therefore, charged its members to come together to resist the plot saying; “no one will come to fight for you except we fight for ourselves; so as to protect the university autonomy in the country.
“Don’t be surprised that by the time the committee is being set up; the report is already written to put an end to our rights like accumulated and sabbatical leave, contract appointment, among others; thereby putting you permanently where you belong.”