ASUU President Prof. Chris Piwuna says new agreement could end frequent strikes.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has criticized the Federal Government’s last-minute attempt to stop its proposed warning strike, describing the intervention as “too late and reactive.”
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, made this known on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, accusing the government of habitual delays and poor communication in addressing the union’s long-standing demands.
“The problem we have with this government and this Ministry of Education is that they are slow in responding to our demands,” Piwuna said.
He explained that ASUU had given the government a three-week grace period after a meeting in Sokoto, hoping for meaningful engagement, but no communication was received within that time.
“We went for a meeting in Sokoto, and at that time we were about to embark on a strike action. They gave us three weeks, we accepted the three weeks, but we never heard a word from them until the three weeks elapsed — not a word from them, courtesy to even say, ‘Oh gentlemen, we think we are running short, three weeks is around the corner, we are unable to meet with you on so-and-so date.’ Nothing, until we threatened action,” he said.
According to Piwuna, the government’s sudden outreach, just two working days before the scheduled strike, shows a lack of seriousness in addressing critical issues affecting the university system.
“Yesterday, they appealed to us not to embark on action. Our 2009 agreement which is still being renegotiated after eight years remains undone. We have not concluded on it, and two working days before a strike action, you come to appeal to us. I think the appeal has come a little too late,” he added.
The ASUU president reaffirmed that the union would proceed with its planned warning strike once its ultimatum expires on Sunday, unless the government presents concrete solutions.
“Their ultimatum expires on Sunday, and after that, there will be a warning strike unless something substantial comes out from the government. So, in the next 48 hours, we expect to receive something substantial from the government. Then, we can go back to our members and ask, ‘Do you think this is sufficient for us to hold on?’ and we will do what our members ask us to do,” Piwuna stated.
The union’s demands include the full implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, revitalization funds for public universities, and improved welfare for academic staff, issues that have fueled recurring industrial actions across the tertiary education sector.
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