JUST IN: NLC to embark on nationwide strike in solidarity with ASUU

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a threat to embark on a three-day nationwide warning strike if the Federal Government continues to ignore the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The NLC also revealed that it has given the Federal government a 21 days ultimatum to act on ASUU’s demands or face a nationwide strike of the Nigerian Labour.

ASUU and other university unions including the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) have all been on strike over for the last two months.

The strike actions by these unions have forced the shutdown of all public universities in the country. According to the unions, the strike became necessary following the failure of the government to implement various agreements.

Rising from a meeting in Abuja, the NLC Central Working Committee in a communiqué issued on Thursday, said it will embark on solidarity protests and strike after a 21 days ultimatum to draw the government’s attention to the prolonged shutdown of the universities.

The communiqué was signed by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba and General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja

There have been a lot of back and forth between ASUU and Federal government since ASUU began a warning strike earlier this year, however no concrete meeting or agreement has been made to ensure the reopening of Nigerian universities.

ASUU on February 14, 2022 announced a four week total and comprehensive warning strike following the inability of the union and the Federal Government to reach a common ground on the demands of university lecturers.

Some of ASUU’s demands include the release of revitalisation funds for universities, implementation of the re-negotiated 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement and the release of earned allowances for university lecturers.

Others are deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for the payment of salaries and allowances of university lecturers.

Following the expiration of the initial four weeks of the warning strike, ASUU had on March 14, 2022 gone ahead to declare another eight weeks strike, saying that it was giving the government more time to meet its demands.

The eight weeks strike which is expected to end by May 14, 2022 has not produced any signs of calling off the strike action, NLC says it will intervene latest by May 4, 2022 (21 days ultimatum) should the government continue to ignore ASUU’s demands.

The NLC president Ayuba Waba said: “Within the span of the subsisting 21-days ultimatum given by Congress, the NLC will hold national protests against the current strike action affecting students of Nigeria’s public universities and occasioned by government’s failure to honour agreement reached with trade unions in our universities.

“The protest is to draw the attention of the government to the inherent catastrophe in the emerging culture of social apartheid in our society, especially as marked by a prolonged lockout of students from working-class and poor homes from our public universities while the children of the rich continue their academic pursuits uninterrupted;

“And if at the end of the national protests and the 21-day ultimatum, the Federal Government still fails to resolve the industrial crises in Nigeria’s universities, the congress would be left with no other option than to embark on a three-day nationwide warning strike action in solidarity with our affiliates in the universities and with Nigerian students whose future and wellbeing are being robbed.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, has asked members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to go back to classes as the ongoing strike is unjustified.

He made the statement after purchasing a N100,000,000 expression of interest and nomination form of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to run for the office of the president in 2023.

According to him, ASUU’s demands asking the Federal government to utilise UTAS ahead of the IPPIS is impractical. He said: “It is impractical and incongruous to continuously expect that somebody who is paid a salary continues to dictate to the someone who pays him: ‘This is how you must pay me’. This is where this anomaly is.”