BREAKING: ASUU Strike Commences Monday
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, will begin a two-week warning strike on Monday, barring any last-minute change in plan.
This comes after the expiration of the two-week ultimatum the union gave the Federal Government to meet their lingering demands.
Even as the deadline ends on Sunday night, the Federal Government is reportedly yet to issue any public comment on the imminent industrial action.
TGM recalls that ASUU had ordered its branches to prepare for a warning strike.
The latest dispute between the union and the Federal Government comes in spite of the ongoing negotiations aimed at averting another round of industrial action in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, on Wednesday revealed that the government had entered the final phase of talks with ASUU and other unions to resolve lingering disputes over welfare, funding, and the implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.
The Minister also disclosed that the President Bola Tinubu’s administration had already made significant progress with the release of N50bn for the payment of Earned Academic Allowances, while another N150bn had been captured in the 2025 budget for needs assessment, to be disbursed in three tranches.
“They (lecturers) deserve to be paid well, and our academic and non-academic staff deserve improved welfare. But we can’t give everything at once. What matters is our sincerity and commitment to substantial improvements in their conditions,” Alausa had said.
However, ASUU president, Prof Chris Piwuna, slammed the Ministry of Education for what he described as its habitual delay in addressing critical issues affecting university lecturers.
“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,” he said.
