Cyril Mbah, Abuja.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed frustration with the way it says the federal government has slowed down the implementation of the terms of the agreement reached with the union last year.
ASUU lamented that the government deliberately employed delay tactics in implementing the agreement to cow the union into giving up its stand on its demands for the improvement of universities, academic staff welfare and liberal work conditions.
The zonal coordinator of ASUU, Dr Salihu Muhammed Lawal, told newsman in Abuja that the union suspended its strike in February 2021 with the hope that the federal government would show seriousness and commitment at improving the academic environment in the country.
He regretted that, several months after the strike was suspended, there had been little measurable progress on the part of government to implement the agreement reached with the union.The coordinator warned that the union would not hesitate to return to the trenches for another strike, warning that should this happen, no lecturer will return to class until every article in the agreement has been implemented.
“The IPPIS activities have continued on our campuses unabated more than nine months after ASUU suspended its strike. The activities must stop with immediate effect and in its place, the system agreed upon in our MOU with the government should be implemented.
“The delay in the implementation of the agreement has seriously threatened industrial harmony that was enjoyed in the universities before now. In other words, the government is unwittingly pushing for another round of strike in the universities.
“ASUU has for long made clear to the government and to Nigerians the level of infrastructural decay in our tertiary institutions, which has militated against academic activities in our universities.
“Our appeal for urgent intervention by the government has been acknowledged. However, this acknowledgement has not been followed or demonstrated with commensurate actions by the administration and this is unfortunate,” Dr. Lawal concluded.
The Abuja zone of ASUU comprises the University of Abuja, Federal University, Minna, Federal University, Lafia, the Federal University, Lokoja, Nasarawa State University, Keffi and Ibrahim Badamasi University, Lapai.
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