ASUU accuses Tinubu of superficial acknowledgment

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has revealed that President Bola Tinubu has not adequately addressed the issues that have led the union to strike in the past.

During a peaceful protest by the Obafemi Awolowo University branch, the branch Chairman, Professor Anthony Odiwe, emphasized that without urgent attention to the 2021 draft agreement between the union and the federal government, a new wave of industrial action could be imminent across campuses nationwide.

He noted that the federal government has yet to resolve many issues that typically trigger strikes, expressing surprise at the current administration’s lack of engagement on these matters.

“It is extremely important to state that all the issues that had always forced our members to embark on strike are still unattended up till now,” Odiwe said, listing unresolved issues such as unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical, payment of promotion arrears, proliferation of public universities, implementation of Visitation Panel Reports, illegal dissolution of Governing Councils, implementation of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) instead of IPPIS, and release of third-party deductions.

The Union also highlighted that it has not had an official meeting with President Tinubu since he assumed office.

“At the beginning, the Union was hopeful that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government would address these issues, especially given the President’s statements that strikes would be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, this government has not engaged with us officially over the past year,” Odiwe stated. He explained that the Union is now bringing these issues to public attention so that Nigerians understand the root of the problem lies with the government’s insensitivity and lack of responsiveness to university education issues.

Union members marched in solidarity on the campus, carrying placards with messages such as “IPPIS is a scam,” “Pay all our outstanding promotion arrears,” “FG give our children proper education,” and “Enough is enough: govern us, not oppress us.”