Sumonu said that such a pay rise will also be “a way of compensating the academics for helping to build the nation through teaching, research, and various community services”.

He spoke at the Federal University, Oye Ekiti on Friday during a symposium titled, ‘The life of an academic’ and the foundation stone laying ceremony of CONUA Secretariat in FUOYE.

The CONUA president said, “Since 2009, the government has failed to consider increasing the take-home pay of the Nigerian public universities’ academics in spite of progressive inflation and economic hardship. The ugly development has been responsible for lecturers retiring into a life of penury”.

He said, “So as we go into retirement, we are asking the government to give us the opportunity to be able to draw a minimum of 25 per cent outside the mortgage or housing fund from our contributory pension so that our people can plan well before their retirement. We want the government to do something on this quickly”.

Sumonu hailed FUOYE CONUA for setting precedence with the secretariat project, saying, “I am very happy with this groundbreaking. It shows CONUA has places to go. FUOYE is the first to start this”.

A renowned Professor of Food Science and Technology, Prof. Mojisola Oyarekua, who delivered the lecture, advised FUOYE students who were in attendance in their numbers that there were opportunities for greatness and fulfillment in academics if they were focused and studious.

Oyarekua advised older unions in public universities against unhealthy rivalry with CONUA, saying the groups should rather collaborate to ensure that the government attended to the welfare and well-being of university workers in Nigeria.

She said, “If we follow the path of diplomacy like CONUA is doing, we will get our demands. We are not at war. ASUU and CONUA, we are to work together. The welfare of academics and that of students must be paramount to us as pressure groups in the academia”.

The don lauded FUOYE Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, for his outstanding achievements in office, saying, “As an administrative person myself, I am able to appreciate the good work the VC  is doing. His achievements have made many Nigerian youths desire FUOYE as their university.”

Dignitaries on the occasion included the VC, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Tajudeen Opoola; and CONUA’s national Secretary, Dr Henry Oripeloye.

CONUA’s National Coordinator, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, emphasised the need to democratise the university setting, saying this was what the academics should be after, adding that academics must look at issues from different perspectives.

Sunmonu said there should not be a fixed perspective to issues, noting that it should not be a thing of “only this way or the highway.”

Sunmonu, while speaking on Arise TV  ‘News Night’ aired Tuesday, said the use of strike action to press home demands in the country had been on for well over 40 years, saying, “in that period of 40 years, we’ve had different kinds of governments, the military dictators, the democracy that we all enjoy; we’ve had one response and that response is put pen to paper on agreement and renege on the agreement later.

We are of the opinion that these agreements, to us, are actually done under duress; where you have the situation in which the other party which is the government that you’re actually discussing with, comes to a meeting with a relaxed mind that once they have an agreement that is workable; when they put pen to paper to sign, they would honour that.”

Sunmonu noted that even in situations of outright wars, “issues are resolved at the table; why can’t we devote more time to that so as to avoid casualties? In this case, casualties are parents and students.”

“We want to deploy all our faculties, all our networks to the area of discussions at the table that will lead to a win-win situation; discussions that will lead to an agreement that the other side will not feel it’s being compelled to do,” he said.

The Federal Government on Tuesday, in a bid to weaken the influence of ASUU, registered two unions in the university system, which included CONUA and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics.

The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, who spoke while presenting the certificates of registration to the two unions explained that the two bodies would exist alongside ASUU.

ASUU has been on strike since February 14, 2022. The union, which is the most reckoned-with umbrella body for university lecturers in Nigeria, is seeking improved welfare conditions for its members, adequate funding for universities, and the replacement of the government-introduced payment platform- Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, with the University Transparency and Accountability Solution. The latter was designed by ASUU following complaints against the IPPIS over alleged poor standardisation and incompatibility with the university system.

This was revealed in an invitation sent to reporters on Tuesday by the Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Oshundun Olajide.

The invitation stated that Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, will do the presentation at the Hon. Minister Conference Room, Federal Secretariat, Phase 1, Abuja by 2 pm.

CONUA, a separate body of academic unions with a presence in a few federal universities, is led by its National Coordinator, ‘Niyi Sunmonu, a lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife.

The message by the Ministry of Labour read, “The Honorable Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige cordially invites you to the recognition and presentation of Certificate of Registration to the Congress of Nigerian University Academics

The message by the Ministry of Labour read, “The Honorable Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige cordially invites you to the recognition and presentation of Certificate of Registration to the Congress of Nigerian University Academics”

It added, “Your media organisation is invited to cover the event and strictly by invitation.”

ASUU has been on strike since February 14 to press home its demands.

Despite a ruling by the National Industrial Court on Sept 21, 2022 ordering the university to return to work, the University lecturers have remained adamant.

Last week, ASUU, through its lawyers, filed an appeal against the court ruling.