ASUU to officially call off strike today as its NEC meets in Abuja

Barring a last-minute change, the Academic Staff Union of Universities may call off its indefinite strike today, Thursday, October 13.

The meeting of the NEC is expected to hold at the University of Abuja today. There, the union is expected to make its stance known officially as regards the lingering strike.

It would be recalled that the Court of Appeal had last Friday, ordered the union to call off its strike, even as the House of Representatives also intervened in the matter, raising the hope that the union may call off the strike soon.

The Union had called for congress to be held in its over 123 branches nationwide and it was reported that most of the branches voted in support of suspension of the strike.

According to reports, except the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, which did not reach a consensus, most universities were unanimous in favour of suspension of the strike action.

Nnamdi Azikiwe University voted in favour of “conditional suspension.” The Federal University of Technology, Akure, which also had ASUU members from the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, both in Ondo State voted for suspension so as not to disobey court orders.  Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria voted for a conditional suspension of the strike.

Usmanu DanFodiyo University was reported to have voted for suspension based on the Appeal Court order. Also, the Benue State University and Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University both in Benue State held their meeting on Wednesday and resolved to respect the ruling of the Appeal Court by suspending the strike.

Some of the major issues behind the strike which are improvement in infrastructure of the schools; improvement in salaries of the lecturers, as well as payment arrears of earned allowance of the lectures were said to have been addressed sort of in the 2o23 Budget recently presented by President Mohammadu Buhari.

“Also on the issue of earned allowances, N50bn has been budgeted to cater for outstanding earned allowances, while N170bn has been fixed for salary increases. However, from 2024, it is the various governing councils that will be paying earned allowances, while N300bn will go for revitalisation.” One report stated.