The Kano Zonal Coordinator, of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Abdulkadir Muhammad, declared that with no agreement with the Federal Government, the union isn’t reopening public universities in Nigeria.
What’s happening
For the fifth time in 9 years, the union of public universities in Nigeria is on strike, reiterating nearly the same demands since 2009. The current strike began with a one-month warning strike, followed by a two-month extension, after a prolonged back and forth between the federal government and the union’s leadership.
ASUU’s demands
To end a four-month strike in October 2009, the federal government signed an agreement with the union, to release N1.3trillion into state and federal universities in Nigeria in six tranches starting from 2013 to improve the deplorable conditions of Nigerian universities.
- For a N220 billion payment that was agreed by both parties to be paid every year, FG released N200 billion in 2013 and N20 billion in 2017.
- Another unfulfilled promise by the federal government is the payment of outstanding earned academic allowances (EAA). Recently the government said it paid N22.127 billion to the union, but ASUU hasn’t confirmed it yet.
- Other issues include a renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, review of NUC 2004 Act, 26% budgetary allocation to education sector, failure to adopt Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), non-payment of withheld salaries, and shortfall in lecturers’ salaries.
What they are saying
The Minister of State for Education in Nigeria, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba in his last briefing, said that the federal government had met all ASUU’s demands.
Meanwhile
The Kano Zonal Coordinator, ASUU, Prof. Abdulkadir Muhammad, said that unless the Nigerian government addresses the core issues, the union would continue the strike.
What this means
Prolonged strike means an extension of course study years for students. Also, in the two months that the strike action would be on, all academic activities in all Nigerian public universities under the union would be on hold.