FG is unfaithful and this may return us to strike – ASUU warns

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says Federal Government’s unwillingness to implement agreements could lead the union back on strike.

The Yola Zone of ASUU, which comprises universities in Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe and Borno States, gave the warning on Wednesday during a press briefing at the Adamawa State capital, Yola,

The union stressed that federal and state governments are both guilty of reneging on promises made to ASUU.

The Yola Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Comrade Reuben Jonathan who read the text of the briefing entitled ‘The Skittish Mode of the Federal Government May Lead to Resumption of ASUU Strike, said the zonal ASUU branch arrived at its resolution during a meeting it held Tuesday at the Modibbo Adama University, Yola.

Reuben Jonathan who said that poor funding, lack of pension scheme, fractional payment of salaries, among others, were prevalent in state universities, lamented, “Most of these issues are part of the MoAs signed by respective state governments and the union in these universities which are deliberately not being honoured.”

He said although the Federal Government challenged ASUU to design an alternative to the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), following which ASUU developed the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) which he said had passed all integrity tests, “yet, the Federal Government is foot-dragging in adopting and deploying UTAS.”

The Yola Zonal ASUU coordinator also complained that the Federal Government team and ASUU concluded a recommended renegotiation meeting over its demands in May this year, but that “Up till now, our union is in the dark as to the position of the renegotiation with the FGN.”

Reuben also raised issues over earned academic allowance (EAA), saying, “As contained in the 2020 MoA which led to the suspension of the then ongoing strike, and after the expiration of the timeline for payment of the third tranche of EAA on 31st of May 2021, the FGN failed to fulfil its obligations after three months and counting.

“Similarly, the mainstreaming of the EAA agreed with the government with effect from January 2021 and captured in the 2021 supplementary budget is yet to be paid to our members.”

The ASUU Yola Zone urged the general public to prevail on the federal and state governments “to stop their skittish attitudes towards the legitimate demands of the union to avoid resumption of the suspended strike.”

source: Daily post