The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has decided to reconsider its plan to shut down university campuses nationwide over unresolved issues with the Federal Government.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, announced the decision following an emergency meeting last night, stating that the union has chosen to temporarily halt the planned strike to allow for more consultations with relevant stakeholders.
A Federal Government team, led by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, met with ASUU leadership in an attempt to avert the strike. The delegation also included the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, and other top officials from the ministry and the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“We had discussions on all the issues that we previously presented to the government, and we have received some responses from the officials. We will go back and give the details to our members so they can decide on the next line of action,” Osodeke said.
He emphasized the importance of resolving these issues for the benefit of students and the nation, noting that this was the first formal meeting with the government since President Tinubu’s administration began.
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Osodeke confirmed that they received briefings from the ministers regarding actions being taken to maintain industrial peace and harmony in the university system. He stressed the need for swift action to avoid further disruptions.
Prof. Mamman expressed satisfaction with the meeting’s outcome, highlighting the union’s understanding that some demands are beyond the Federal Ministry of Education’s purview. He assured that consultations would continue on such items, requiring collaboration with other ministries.
The meeting allowed for an in-depth discussion of issues affecting the Nigerian university system. Mamman noted that the government has a platform for quarterly interactions with university-based unions, which facilitated this meeting.
ASUU had raised several demands, including the non-implementation of the 2009 re-negotiated FGN/ASUU agreement, non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), arrears of promotions, non-release of third-party deductions, and failure to implement recommendations from white papers on visitation panels to federal universities.
They also cited issues such as the retrogressive proliferation of universities, withheld salaries, and the use of the IPPIS system for paying ASUU members.
The union had threatened a nationwide strike over the Federal Government’s failure to address these demands, setting a two-week deadline for action. An ASUU officer confirmed that the union’s leadership had met with the government led by the education minister, describing the meeting as a plea to avert the planned strike.
