ASUU gives FG three-week ultimatum, vows to embark on fresh strike

It is looking like government owned universities might have to be shut down again for a long time due to impending strike by lecturers and they are serious this time.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday issued a three-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to address all agreements reached in December 2020 or risk another nationwide strike.

The development was revealed by the union’s President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke while addressing newsmen in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

Prof. Osodeke said the union might be compelled to embark on another nationwide strike should the government fail to implement the Memorandum of Action signed with ASUU prior to the suspension of the last industrial action.

It could be recalled that ASUU had in March 2020 embarked on a nationwide strike which lasted for over nine months following the Federal Government’s inability to meet agreements both parties entered in 2009.

Another issue was the unions demanded that its members should be exempted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) pending the approval of the proposed payment system – the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

However, the union reopened the public universities on December 3 following the FG’s promise to meet their demands.

It seems the union is not satisfied with the way federal government has handled its side of the deal following which another strike is looming.