The National President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke disclosed this on Wednesday at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, while briefing Journalists about the outcome of the National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of ASUU held in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Osodeke, who was flanked by ASUU members during the press briefing, said several lecturers in different Nigerian Universities have either had their appointments terminated, salaries withheld or their promotions denied by the management of such institutions for trying to protect the welfare of academic staff.

These Universities according to the Osodeke, are Kogi State University, Ebonyi State University, EBSU, Lagos State University, LASU, Ambrose Alli University, Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam among others.

ASUU while expressing displeasure that its members are still being victimized in Federal University of Technology, FUTO, Owerri for rejecting the conferment of Professorship title on former Minister of Communication and Digital Technology, Isah Pantami, demanded an end to such rough treatment by FUTO management.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities restated its call on the Federal government to review and sign the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, payment of outstanding earned academic allowances, release of withheld salaries, promotion arrears, and end to third-party deductions of ASUU members’ funds.

Other issues demanded by the lecturers include the stoppage of illegal retirements, the proliferation of Public Universities, and the abuse of Universities’ laws.

Sources within ASUU’s National Executive Council confirmed the development following a meeting at the University of Ibadan, The Punch reports.

The notice will be forwarded to the Federal Ministries of Labour and Education.

“This is not an ultimatum but a strike notice,” explained an ASUU source.

“We are providing a 21-day notice in accordance with labor laws to ensure our actions are legally compliant.”

ASUU’s move comes amid unresolved issues with the federal government, including the non-implementation of prior agreements.

Despite a June 26 meeting with Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman to address these issues and prevent a strike, the union reports that agreements remain unmet.

ASUU President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke highlighted ongoing grievances, such as the unmet 2009 renegotiated agreements and accumulated academic allowances over six years.

The union also criticized the lack of progress on revitalisation funds, with only one payment made since 2013, and expressed concerns over the proliferation of poorly funded new universities.

The ASUU Federal University Dutse (FUD) Branch Chairperson in Jigawa State, Comrade Salim Ahmed, issued the warning at an emergency press conference held at the ASUU Secretariat in Dutse.

Ahmed stated, “the Members of the Expanded Executive Officers of the ASUU Federal University Dutse met today, Wednesday, 19th June 2024, to consider and take a look at the patriotic engagements of the Union with the Federal and State governments on how best to address all the lingering problems bedeviling Nigerian Public Universities”.

He noted that since the current administration took office on May 29, 2023, it has deliberately ignored ASUU’s leadership.

Efforts to convene a meeting with the government to discuss the issues, following the International Labour Organization’s principle of collective bargaining, have failed.

The renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement covers critical issues such as welfare, university autonomy, funding for revitalization, and the proliferation of public universities.

Other unresolved issues include the illegal dissolution of university governing councils, withheld salaries, unpaid sabbatical and adjunct salaries due to IPPIS inefficiencies, third-party deductions, Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), and the adoption of UTAS instead of IPPIS.

Ahmed stressed the union’s frustration with the government’s inaction, stating, “Our branch, like others, believes the Federal Government is unwilling to address these outstanding issues. We resolved to inform parents and stakeholders about the situation and the government’s failure to act.”

Within the next three weeks, ASUU plans to mobilize its members for potential action and calls on well-meaning individuals to urge the government to address these issues to prevent an industrial crisis in Nigeria’s already fragile university system.

Following its National Executive Council meeting at the Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, ASUU expressed disappointment over unmet promises from the Bola Tinubu-led administration to address lingering issues that led to a nationwide strike from February to October 2022.

ASUU criticized successive governments for failing to honor agreements, including the payment of Earned Academic Allowance and the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement’s renegotiation.

The union also cited issues like the non-implementation of revitalization funds and withheld salaries.

The statement from ASUU reiterated the union’s rejection of the Students Loan Scheme, which it believes would deprive public universities of funding and funnel public funds into private institutions owned by politically connected individuals.

ASUU cautioned that such a scheme would burden students with insurmountable debt, citing failures in better-managed economies and Nigeria’s prevalent corruption and nepotism.

ASUU proposed that state and federal governments should instead provide grants and scholarships to students and restore the Needs-Based Budgeting System for universities.

The union’s National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, condemned the steep fee hikes in schools, urging the government to allocate diverted funds to support universities without burdening parents.

Furthermore, ASUU urged the Tinubu administration to conduct a needs assessment to determine the necessary intervention in public universities, reminiscent of the response to a similar challenge in 2012, which led to a substantial funding allocation subsequently abrogated by the government.

This viewpoint was expressed during a closed-door meeting with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Abuja.

According to a statement from the ministry, the meeting aimed to proactively address potential industrial disputes in the academic cycle and establish a path forward for a seamless academic session in Nigeria in 2024 and beyond.

Minister Onyejeocha sought the cooperation of ASUU’s leadership, led by President Comrade Emmanuel Osodeke, in providing insight into the union’s challenges.

She extended an open invitation for dialogue and emphasized the administration’s commitment to transparency.

Highlighting the crucial role of education in the nation’s future, Onyejeocha noted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is prioritizing education as a key pillar of development.

She pointed to the recent approval of “students’ loans” as a significant step in this direction.

ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, made this statement during an interview.

His response comes in the wake of a circular issued by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation announcing the salary increment.

It can be recalled that the Federal Government initially opposed a 25% pay increase for lecturers while approving a 35% raise for professors.

However, a circular numbered OAuGF/ SW/C/QP/1395/VOL.1/11, dated September 21, 2023, and addressed to universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, states that the implementation of the salary increment was approved by the Presidential Committee on Salaries during its 13th meeting.

“We have not been informed of such a development and when we are officially notified, we are going to react,” he told our correspondent on phone.

However, the National President of the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, said he was aware of the circular.

He added that the pay rise was not enough, but that his union would not reject it.

“In fact, that circular ought to have taken effect many months ago. We met the then Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, over the matter.

“The thinking then was that the circular would be made public last March and the effective date of its effectiveness would be as from January this year and the arrears paid.

“What they are offering is not enough but we are not rejecting it. However, this is to be taken different from the general upward review of salaries of public workers in view of the current economic crunch in the country,” he said.

He made these remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s morning program, “Sunrise Daily,” in response to a report in which the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, discussed granting universities full autonomy to explore new sources of financing.

Prof. Osodeke referred to Section 18 of the Constitution, which explicitly states that “university, primary, and secondary education are free,” to assert that the government cannot completely withdraw funding from public universities.

While he remained cautious about speculating on the government’s intentions, he suggested that if the law is followed and universities operate without bureaucratic interference, funding concerns could be alleviated.

He noted that the challenge lies in the fact that the matter is not judicable. Nevertheless, he expressed optimism that the government would continue to support universities, especially if Nigeria allocates more resources to education, aligning with the practices of European countries.

Prof. Osodeke believes that adhering to the principles of autonomy outlined in the law could lead to a more effective higher education system in Nigeria.

ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke issued a statement expressing these concerns, emphasizing that the salary withholding is just one of several challenges plaguing the Nigerian University System (NUS).

These issues were deliberated upon during the National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Maiduguri from Saturday, August 19th to Sunday, August 20th, 2023.

Osodeke highlighted that the union’s position remains steadfast against the application of the “No-Work-No-Pay” policy to academics, stating that the policy does not consider the specific circumstances of the strike action.

He pointed out that only the teaching aspect of academics’ work was halted during the strike, and the academic community has since compensated for the missed period under severe economic conditions.

The union extended its appreciation to Nigerian academics for their resilience despite the economic, social, and emotional challenges stemming from the unpaid salaries.

ASUU attributed its previous strike actions to successive government failures to honor agreements and memoranda established through collective bargaining principles, as enshrined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and incorporated into Nigeria’s labor law.

With this backdrop, ASUU called upon the government under President Bola Tinubu to expedite the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement in accordance with the recommendations of the Professor Nimi Briggs Committee. This move is aimed at restoring the integrity of the Nigerian University System.

The statement acknowledged ongoing efforts to secure the release of the withheld salaries and urged national leadership, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), to join forces in achieving this outcome. ASUU believes that releasing the unpaid salaries would significantly boost the morale of Nigerian university educators.

The statement further addressed the issue of promotion arrears owed to members, attributing the delay to complications arising from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information (IPPIS) system.

Despite the union’s efforts and those of university administrations, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has not addressed the matter.

ASUU called upon the OAGF to promptly release the accumulated promotion arrears to members for the sake of industrial harmony.

The statement also touched on various challenges within the Nigerian education system, including the departure of experienced academics due to unfavorable conditions, issues related to appointments and promotions, autonomy of universities, and more.

Finally, ASUU urged the government to reject pervasive neo-liberal policies, prioritize human development through adequate funding of education and healthcare, and invest in the oil and gas industry’s capacities for the benefit of the economy and the nation at large.