The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has lamented the refusal of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to relate with the union since his inception in office in May 2023, News About Nigeria reports.
The branch chairman, Professor Anthony Odiwe, stated this while speaking during a peaceful protest held by the Obafemi Awolowo University branch of the Union.
He noted that the President has not accorded proper attention to issues, forcing the union to embark on industrial action, adding that unless urgent attention is given to the draft agreement between the union and the federal government in 2021, it would call for fresh industrial action across campuses in the country.
He added that the federal government has yet to address many of the issues that usually force the union to embark on a strike.
Odiwe said the union was surprised by the attitude of the present administration on the issues.
“It is extremely important to state that all the issues that have always forced our members to embark on strike are still unattended up until now.
“Please permit me to mention those issues: release of the unpaid salaries of staff on sabbatical, adjunct, etc. due to IPPIS; payment of promotion arrears; payment of EAA; proliferation of public universities; implementation of the Reports of the Visitation Panels, illegal dissolution of governing councils of federal and state universities; implementation of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) in place of IPPIS; and release of third-party deductions.
“The Union was very open and hopeful at the beginning that the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be favourably disposed to addressing the issues, especially with the posture and utterances of Mr. President that strikes would be a thing of the past in our system.
“Unfortunately, the same government has refused to relate with us officially in the last one year in power. In view of this, the Union has decided to take this matter to the public space once again so that Nigerians will be properly informed and will not blame us but the government because of their insensitivity and non-responsiveness to the issues of university education in the country,” he stated.
