The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may soon embark on an industrial action, SaharaReporters can authoritatively confirm.
The President of the lecturers’ union, Prof. Emmanuel Osodoke, confirmed the possibility of going on strike to SaharaReporters on Thursday.
According to him, the union is currently mobilising its members to prepare for an industrial action.
He expressed worry that the government failed to sign an agreement with the union nor fulfil its own terms of agreements negotiated with the union.
The National Executive Council of the union will soon meet to determine whether there will be a strike action and when that might be, SaharaReporters was told.
“We are mobilising our members currently as we may possibly embark on strike action but we will meet soon to determine that,” Osodeke said.
“The government has failed to listen to our plights. They even failed to honour agreements or sign newly reached agreements. Since the rumour of the strike action broke out, no one has reached out to us.”
The union is at loggerheads with the government over an agreement reached in 2009, one which has continued to be subjected to different forms of negotiations without a headway.
In October 2022, the ASUU embarked on a strike action that lasted eight months.
In a statement by the president of the union Osodeke, ASUU said the decision to call off the strike followed a series of appeals by Nigerians, then-President Muhammadu Buhari, and then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
“While appreciating the commendable efforts of the leadership of the House of Representatives and other patriotic Nigerians who waded into the matter, NEC noted with regrets that the issues in dispute are yet to be satisfactorily addressed,” the statement added.
“However, as a law-abiding union and in deference to appeals by the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, and in recognition of the efforts of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and other well-meaning Nigerians, ASUU NEC resolved to suspend the strike action embarked upon on 14th February 2022.”
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