ASUU meets with FG, insists on strike continuation until demands fully met

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abuja zone, on Monday, insisted that the lecturers will not resume duties in public universities until renegotiated 2009 agreement is signed, implemented and the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) is deployed for payment of salaries of university workers.

ASUU zonal coordinator, Dr Salawu Muhammed Lawal, said this during a news conference at the University of Abuja Gwagwalada.

This came just as the Federal Government, through the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said it was set to meet with the union the same Monday in the evening, to dialogue on the contending issues.

ASUU had embarked on a four-week warning strike on February 14. On March 14, the union extended the industrial action by another two months to allow the government meet all of its demands.

Lawal, however, said the lecturers are ever ready to return to their duty post as soon as their demands are met by the Federal Government.

He said: “You would recall that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) declared a four week rolling strike at the University of Lagos National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on February 14.

“Owing to the failure of the Federal Government to act within that period, the national action was rolled over for another eight weeks following the resolution taken at an emergency NEC meeting at the Festus Iyayi National Secretariat on March 14.

“The action as you are probably aware is to among other things, compel the Federal Government to sign and implement the draft renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement submitted to it by the Prof. Munzali Committee in May 2021.

“Deploy for use in the Nigerian university system, was the home-grown payment and personnel solution called UTAS developed by ASUU as replacement for the failed IPPIS.”