The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) pleaded with President Bola Tinubu yesterday to pay the academics’ withheld eight months’ salary right away as a result of “the 2022 patriotic strike action triggered by government’s failure” to uphold agreements made with it.
In order to implement the recommendations of the Prof. Nimi Briggs committee to restore the integrity of the university system, the union further requested that the current administration put machinery in place for the swift conclusion of renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement.
In a statement, ASUU President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke said the organization’s National Executive Council (NEC) met at the University of Maiduguri in Borno State from August 19 to 20 to discuss a number of issues impacting the university system and the country as a whole.
He also revealed that the lecturers opposed the dissolution of the governing councils of federal universities by the President, saying the action violated extant laws.
The statement reads: “NEC commended Nigerian academics for their courage, resilience, and determination to weather through the economic, social, and emotional storms unleashed on them by the unpaid salaries.
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“NEC attributed past strike actions of ASUU to the failure of successive governments to honour agreements and memoranda arrived at through the collective bargaining principle enunciated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and domesticated in Nigeria’s labour law.”
“NEC acknowledged the ongoing efforts to make the Federal Government release the withheld salaries of academics and implored ASUU national leadership, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and all true patriots to spare no efforts in this respect
“NEC noted with serious concern that ASUU members are currently owed several months of promotion arrears arising from distortions traceable to the forceful enrolment of academics on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information (IPPIS) platform.
“NEC observed that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has failed to address the issue despite several efforts by the union and university administrations.
“Consequently, ASUU calls on the OAGF to ensure the immediate release of the backlog of promotion arrears to our members in the interest of industrial peace and harmony.” stated.
ASUU said it also rejected all illegal appointments sponsored by the IPPIS and its agents in Nigerian public universities.
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