Akure: ASUU Pleads With FG To Honour Agreements 

Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat of the branch of the Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, at the Federal University of Technology in Akure on Thursday, its Chairman, Comrade Professor Pius Bamidele Mogaji called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to stand by the promise he openly made during his inauguration as President in 2023 that he won’t allow ASUU to go on strike in his own time. 

Professor Mogaji who stated that the previous strike actions embarked upon by ASUU not yielding expected results, expressed the readiness of the leadership of the Union to appeal to the Federal government to accede to it’s requests, saying the University lecturers are tired of embarking on strike actions to enforce demands. 

Buttressing his above stand, Mogaji reminded that ASUU has in the past organized five months strike action in 1999 to negotiate good working conditions with the Federal government on the Nigerian Universities shortly after the Obasanjo /Atiku Administration was sworn – in.

He explained that in 2001, ASUU embarked on another strike action over the reinstatement of 49 lecturers sacked at the University of Ilorin. 

By December 2022, ASUU embarked on two weeks strike action over the failure of the Obasanjo’s administration to implement the agreement had with the Union during the previous strike.

Strike actions took place in 2023 when public Universities across the Country were shut down for 6 months as a result of poor funding and disparities in salary and retirement age. 

Also, other strike took place in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2020 and 2022 when the longest strike action took place across the Country. 

The ASUU leadership in FUTA after addressing the press conference embarked on a protests within the Institution’s premises chanting different songs and displaying placards with inscriptions such as “It Is Honourable To Honour Agreement With ASUU”, “Pay Us Our EAA”, “Rascality Cannot Reduce The Problems In Education Sector”, “Pay ASUU Their Outstanding Three and Half Months Withheld Salaries” and “Revitalize Public Universities”.

Other includes “The Primitive No Work , No Pay and Pro Rate Salaries Are Merely Diversionary. Honour Nimi Briggs Agreement” and FG Stop Destroying The Education Sector” among others. 

Professor Mogaji while speaking at the end of the protests held at the main gate of the Federal University of Technology in Akure, highlighted some of the demands of ASUU to include the renegotiation of FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement, ending the grip of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, Funding of the  Universities, Proliferation of Universities and Payment of the Arrears of Earned Academic Allowances and Non-Release of Owed Salaries among others.