The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected the Federal Government’s last-minute appeal to suspend its planned warning strike, describing the move as “a little too late.”
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, made this known on Thursday during an interview with newsmen, accusing the government of habitual delays in addressing the union’s longstanding demands.
“The problem we have with this government and this Ministry of Education is that they are slow in responding to our demands,” Piwuna said. He explained that the union had given the government a three-week ultimatum following a meeting in Sokoto but received no response throughout the period.
“We went for a meeting in Sokoto, and at that time, we were about to embark on a strike. They gave us three weeks, and we accepted it, but we never heard a word from them until the three weeks elapsed — not even a courtesy message to say they needed more time,” he lamented.
Piwuna revealed that the government only reached out two working days before the proposed strike to appeal for calm. “Yesterday, they appealed to us not to embark on action. But our 2009 agreement, which has been under renegotiation for eight years, remains unresolved. Coming two days before a strike to beg us is simply too late,” he stated.
He added that unless the government makes “substantial progress” before Sunday, the union will commence its two-week warning strike on October 13. “We expect to receive something concrete from the government in the next 48 hours. If not, we will do what our members direct,” Piwuna warned.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had earlier announced that the government was in the final phase of negotiations with ASUU and other tertiary education unions to resolve outstanding disputes related to welfare, funding, and the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.
Despite this assurance, ASUU maintains that years of unfulfilled promises have eroded trust, and its members are prepared to proceed with the industrial action unless tangible commitments are made.
