ASUU Threatens to Resume Strike if FG Fails to…

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to resume its industrial action which was temporarily placed on hold should the federal government fail to fulfill the agreement reached with the union.

Ibadan Zonal Coordinator for ASUU, Professor Ade Adejumo, when quizzed about the latest development on the ongoing negotiation between the federal government and the Union, stated this in a chat with Oyo Affairs correspondent on Monday.

According to professor Adejumo, two weeks have been exhausted out of the eight weeks of negotiation, noting that after the Yuletide holiday, talks will continue on the ASUU-FG agreement of 2009 and Memorandum of Action 2013 that requires legislation such as the mainstreaming of the Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) into the annual budget and amendment of the Executive Bill in respect of the National University Commission (NUC) Act 2004.

Professor Adejumo who maintained that all ASUU members across the federation have resumed duty stressed that it is left to individual universities to announce the resumption of their students after which academic activities will commence.

He, however, appealed to lecturers to adhere strictly to all the Covid-19 guidelines issued by the government in a bid to steer clear of the second wave of the pandemic in the course of discharging their responsibilities.

Oyo Affairs correspondent gathered that Students in Nigerian public universities who were hoping to resume academic work after the Yuletide following the suspension of a nine-month strike by ASUU will have to wait longer.

This is because the National Universities Commission (NUC) has issued a directive to all universities to suspend academic activities due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The directive which is contained in a circular issued by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and signed by its Deputy Executive Secretary (Administration), Chris Mayaki, said that classrooms, hostel accommodation, conferences, and seminars should be suspended.

The commission also asked the universities to remain shut during the intervening period, pending further directives from the government on the reopening of the various institutions.