ASUU threatens fresh strike, gives FG 3-week ultimatum

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a three-week ultimatum to the federal government to implement the agreement it reached with the union.

Emmanuel Osodeke, the ASUU national president, gave the ultimatum after the union’s national executive council (NEC) meeting at the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) on November 13 and 14.

Osodeke said the industrial action became necessary due to the failure of the federal government to implement the memorandum of action (MoA) it signed with the union upon which the last strike action was suspended.

“We are giving the Federal Government a three-week ultimatum, if after three weeks they don’t meet our demands, we will be going on strike,” he said.

“We believe we have tried enough by giving them enough time.”

ASUU had earlier warned the federal government not to push the union into another strike by neglecting its demands.

“Finally, we call on all patriotic Nigerians and lovers of Nigeria to prevail on the federal and state governments to act fast to prevent another round of industrial crisis in Nigeria’s public universities,” Osodeke added.

“It is painful that our Union may soon have no other way of securing the implementation of FGN-ASUU collectively bargained agreements and redressing the criminal neglect of welfare issues of our members by State Governors.

“Governments of Nigerian should be held responsible should ASUU be forced to activate the strike it patriotically suspended.”

The union had embarked on a nearly nine-month strike in 2020 over the unmet demands by the federal government.

Some of the demands, according to ASUU, include those of unpaid academic earned allowances and the universities revitalisation fund that are yet to be addressed almost one year after an agreement was reached.