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Things You Should Know About looming ASUU strike



Ayoola Omole

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) reached a yet to be met Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the federal government, back in 2009. The agreement bordered among others, on the lecturers' salary structure, allowances, funding of federal and state universities, allocation of a minimum 26% of Nigeria's annual budget to the education sector, as recommended by UNESCO for developing nations, amendment of 2004 JAMB act, amendment of pensionable retirement age of academics in the professorial cadre, consolidated peculiar allowances (CONPUAA) .

The failure of the federal government to comply with these demands led to a Nationwide strike in 2013. In an attempt to put an end to the crisis which ravaged the education sector, ASUU was persuaded then by the Nigerian government to shelve its sword, and return to work after a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was reached, restating the government's readiness to follow its commitments through. 

Fast forward to 2017. Aside its feud with the federal government over non-implementation of the points contained in the 2013 MOU, ASUU is agitated by lack of government effort to apprehend unending  Boko Haram attacks on the university of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), endangering the lives of student, lecturers,  and academic facilities in the university. ASUU is seriously considering an option to embark on industrial action to press its demands. It would be recalled that  that no less than 7 members of ASUU who were lecturers at the University Of Maiduguri were killed in a Boko Haram attack last month, forcing seventy 70 academic staff to resign amid fear of vulnerability to the terrorist sect.

ASUU kick started nationwide referendum on whether or not to resume its suspended strike in a bid to coerce the federal government to honour its 2009 agreement and 2013 MOU. The national President of the Association, Professor Biodun Ogunymi, after a National Executive Council meeting, transmitted a directive to the branches of ASUU nationwide, asking members to decide whether to proceed on two-week warning strike, one-month warning strike, no strike action or total and indefinite strike if the Federal Government fails to satisfactorily address its concerns.

It is clear that the leadership of the association has identified the need to apply pressure on the federal government to implement its long standing agreements at this point through strike action;  a tool that has to a large extent proven an effective method at seizing government attention, and solely subjected whatever decision to be made to the preference of its members, guided by the practice of internal democracy. According to reports, the referendum has started with branches of ASUU already signalling their respective choices, it is expected that the most popular of the stated options would direct ASUU's general position.


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