The Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, on Wednesday suspended its strike, bringing an end to a protracted industrial action.
Recall that the university lecturers had been on strike since March 23 to press home its demands which include funding for the Revitalization of Public Universities, payment of Earned Academic Allowances, EAA, salary shortfall, state universities.
Others are visitation panels, re-constitution of the 2009 FGN/ASUU re-negotiation committee, University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, withheld salaries and non-remittance of check-off dues.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, the ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi, warned that the union would return to strike if the Federal Government fails in meeting its part of the agreement reached.
The ASUU president, however, said the reopening of the schools now lies with the Federal Government and Senate, considering the COVID-19 pandemic.
“However, should the government fail to fulfil its own parts of the agreement, ASUU will resume its suspended strike as deemed necessary.
“NEC resolved to accept the agreement reached between ASUU and the Federal Government on Dec. 22 and to also consciously and diligently monitor the implementation of Federal Government ASUU agreements of Dec. 22, in all branches.
“NEC also resolved to ensure that no ASUU member suffered any loss of deserved benefits as a result of participation in the strike,” he said.
Mr Ogunyemi said that NEC would pursue fervently the areas in the Federal Government-ASUU agreement of 2009 and Memorandum of Action (MoA) 2013 that require legislation.
He added that such as the mainstreaming of EAA into the annual budget and the Executive Bill in respect of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Act, 2004.
Mr Ogunyemi also said that ASUU expectation from both state and Federal Government is that government should faithfully implement all the agreements reached and signed with the union.
“Therefore the implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC), which had already been constituted to the satisfaction of government and ASUU, will work diligently to ensure that funds released are used to meet genuine revitalisation needs of Nigerian public universities.
“This is with strict and disciplined supervision of the implementation processes by the universities themselves. To this end, the students and their parents would see the fruits of the struggles of ASUU in their lives.
“The union expects the immediate release of EAA as agreed, the mainstreaming of EAA into annual budget using the agreed formula.
“The union also expects the government to immediately engage the universities and other research centres in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
”This is one of the challenges that the universities have been asking the government to throw to Nigerian academics,” he said.
The ASUU president also called on the government to expedite action on the test processes and ensure the development of UTAS for the payment of salaries in the university system.
He added that this software will assist the Government in its fight against corruption and thus play an important role in maintaining a high stand of accountability in the education sector.
He also said that union expects that government and ASUU renegotiation exercise would be concluded as specified in the timeline agreed by both parties, among others.
“On our part, we are going back to rekindle the motivation and aspirations in our members to strive to encourage our students to excel, in all the expectations that government will sincerely fulfil their own part of the bargain,” he said.
