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ASUU suspends eight-month strike

The Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) has finally suspended the strike it embarked on since on February 14, 2022.

ASUU ended the strike following intense negotiations with the government and the House of Representatives.

The Guardian gathered that the decision to suspend the strike was taken at the end of ASUU National Executive Council meeting which was held at the ASUU secretariat in Abuja.

“Yes, it has been called off,” a reliable source told The Guardian.

After the discussions with the government, ASUU president Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke had said the union could call off its strike in a few days.

“In a few days, we will put this strike to an end. Let all of us working together and the members of the House of Representatives working together, put a beautiful end to this thing we have started so that every Nigerian will be proud that we have the universities we can be proud of,” Osodeke said.

“We also extend our appreciation to the President for intervening in the ASUU strike. And I want to appeal that in future we should not allow strike to linger. Strike should not go beyond two days; if the way the National Assembly has intervened.

“If we had done that long ago, or those in charge of Labour and Education had done exactly this, we would not have stayed more than two or weeks on the strike.

“Strike is all over the world, UK, U.S. all over, but they don’t allow it to last. So, once again, thank you very much and we hope that working together, in the next few days, we can put an end to this particular imbroglio in the Nigerian educational system.”

ASUU president is expected to release an official circular to its member institutions for the resumption of academic activities in the universities.…

Education / News

Unilorin speaks on reported release of post-UTME screening form

The University of Ilorin has dismissed reports that it released 2022/2023 Post-UTME Screening Form to applicants.

Kunle Akogun, Director of Corporate Affairs of the university, spoke in the development in a statement on Thursday.

Akogun said: “This is to inform all admission applicants to the University of Ilorin that the institution is yet to take any decision on the 2022/2023 Post-UTME screening.

“They should, therefore, disregard a message currently flying around online platforms to the effect that the University has started the process for the sale of Post-UTME screening registration form. “This is the handiwork of scammers and admission seekers should disregard it.”…

Education / News

Breaking: FG orders VCs to reopen varsities, commence lectures

The Federal Government through the National Universities Commission has ordered vice-chancellors to re-open schools and allow students resume lectures.

This was made known in a letter signed by the Director, Finance and Accounts of the NUC, Sam Onazi, on behalf of the Executive Secretary of the commission, Professor Abubakar Rasheed.

The letter which was made exclusively available to The PUNCH on Monday was addressed to all vice-chancellors; Pro-Chancellors and chairmen of governing councils of federal universities.

“Ensure that ASUU members immediately resume/commence lectures; Restore the daily activities and routines of the various University campuses”, the letter partly reads.

The national industrial court of Nigeria on Wednesday ordered the Academic Staff Union of Universities to call off its ongoing nationwide strike.

ASUU had been on strike since February 14 to press home the demand for improved funding for universities, a review of salaries for lecturers, among other issues.

Several meetings between ASUU and the Federal Government have ended in a deadlock.

Consequently, the Federal Government went to court to challenge the strike.

The government through its counsel, James Igwe, prayed the court for an interlocutory injunction restraining ASUU from taking further steps as regards the strike, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

More details shortly…

Education / News / politics

ASUU strike: House of Reps leadership meets Head of Service, others

In continuation of the efforts to find solutions to the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, alongside his deputy, Rep. Ahmed Idris Wase, and other leaders of the House on Thursday met with the Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan; and chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, among other government officials.

The meeting was a follow up to an earlier one Speaker Gbajabiamila held with the ASUU leadership on Tuesday.

The outcome of Tuesday’s meeting led the House leadership to invite the Head of Service; National Information Technology Development Agency; Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission; and Accountant General of the Federation among others.

At Thursday’s meeting, NITDA told the House leadership the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System, University Transparency Accountability Solution and University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System failed its integrity tests regarding the university payroll, which the agency conducted between March and June this year.

A NITDA official at the meeting told the House leadership that the government directed the agency to test UTAS in October, 2020, and that the platform failed the two integrity tests conducted on it.

He said following the first test, ASUU was asked to go back and review, which it did.

Yet, the platform did not meet NITDA’s requirements the second time.

For the third time, NITDA was then asked to conduct tests on UTAS, IPPIS and U3PS, which the official said all the three platforms failed its requirements regarding the payroll system of universities.

Not satisfied with the explanation, Speaker Gbajabiamila asked if NITDA advised the government to take action on the lapses found on the IPPIS, which has been in operation by government since 2011.

But the NITDA official said they were not in a position to do that.

Gbajabiamila also asked if NITDA queried the IPPIS platform, to which the official responded in the negative.

Wase also expressed reservations at NITDA’s action, saying it ought to have advised government on the appropriate …

Education / News / politics

ASUU strike: Buhari told us not to sign agreement we can’t implement — Minister

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari warned the government team involved in the negotiation with the Academic Staff Union of Universities against signing any agreement the government would not be able to implement.

The Minister said this on during a meeting with Pro-Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of Federal Universities on Tuesday.

At the meeting held at the National Universities Commission office in Abuja, Adamu said: “In all we have been doing, our guide has been the directive of Mr President Muhammadu Buhari, namely that while the unions should be persuaded to return to work, Government should not repeat the past mistakes of accepting to sign an agreement it will be unable to implement.

“Government should not, in the guise of resolving current challenges, sow seeds for future disruptions.”

The Minister, who traced the face-off with ASUU and other unions in the university, added: “To confound matters further, the three other university non-teaching staff unions – SSANU, NASU and NAAT also declared trade disputes against the Federal Government and commenced nationwide Industrial actions a few weeks later. NAAT started its strike on March 17, 2022 while the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU followed suit on March 27, 2022.

“In response to the Unions’ demands, the Federal Government reconstituted the FGN/University-based Unions 2009 Agreement Renegotiation Committee, with Emeritus Professor Nimi Briggs as Chairman on 7th March, 2022. The Committee was charged with the responsibility of concluding the ongoing Federal Government renegotiation efforts with the University-based Unions and producing appropriate solutions, workable and enduring agreements for the improvement of the Nigerian University System.

“While the Briggs Committee was busy interacting with the Unions on all the issues, a Federal Government Inter-ministerial Team, under the leadership of the Minister of Labor, Dr. Chris Ngige, was simultaneously engaging the Unions and resolving some of their minor demands, such as salary shortages and payment of arrears of the minimum wage consequential adjustments as well as payment of promotion arrears. The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning was …

Education / News

NANS wants urgent intervention of Buhari in ASUU strike

The National Association of Nigerian Students has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the lingering strike by Academic Staff Union of University to enable students to return to school.

The newly-elected President of NANS, Usman Barambu, made the call at a news conference on Monday in Abuja.

Barambu described as worrisome the lingering dispute between ASUU and the Federal Government, which had lasted for about seven months.

He noted that the incessant strikes had affected the academic calendar of public universities. He said: “Also, it has negatively impacted on the future of Nigerian students as a program of four years now would last for six years.”

Similarly, the Chairman, Communiqué Drafting Committee, Usman Ayuba, urged Buhari to bring on board capable hands with experience and capacity to stem the tide of insecurity in the country. Ayuba also appealed to the government to proffer workable solutions to address incessant clashes between farmers and herders across the country.

He called on the Ministry of Education to give priority attention to the sector in terms of budgetary allocation to meet the UNESCO standard and recommendation of setting aside 26 per cent of annual budget to education by developing countries.

The students also wanted lecturers involved in the business of Sex for Marks to desist from such nefarious activities, stressing that students would expose anyone found culpable.…

Education / News

ASUU extends strike

After a series of heated discussions, the Academic Staff Union of Universities has decided to extend its ongoing strike..

The decision was taken after the National Executive Council meeting at the union’s headquarters at the University of Abuja on Monday morning.…

Education / News

Gov. El-Rufai threatens to sack KASU staff for joining ASUU strike

Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has threatened to sack the striking members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), of Kaduna State University, KASU, and declare their positions vacant if they refuse to return to classrooms.

The governor who spoke on a live radio program yesterday night, among others, said: “ASUU has a problem with the Federal Government (FG), not the state government.

The Acting Vice Chancellor has assured me that they will resume and I have asked them to find out if they actually resumed work because I initially instructed that their salary be stopped. “But I was later told they didn’t join the strike; so I asked that it should be investigated and those that collected salary and joined the strike will be asked to refund the salary. This is because Nigeria’s law says ‘no work, no pay’. This is the law. So whoever joined the strike will not be paid salary. We have been telling the KASU lecturers that they have no problem with state government. ASUU’s problem is with the Federal Government; therefore, why will our staff who have no problems with us join the strike?

“If this continues, I will wake up one day to sack them all, I swear to God. We will sack them all and declare their positions vacant on the pages of newspapers. They once did the same thing and we gave them warning, now they repeated it. I’m only waiting to receive the report from the Commissioner for Education. I swear to God, we will sack all those that joined the strike if they refuse to resume work.”

Speaking on the aftermath of the APC Presidential primaries, he said he and other APC governors were fully in support of the Tinubu-Shettima ticket and would work assiduously for their success in 2023 because they have proven to be good leaders as governors in their respective states. El-Rufai, however, said he was not appointed Director-General D-G of the Tinubu campaign as was insinuated, but saddled with an assignment on the campaign …

Education / News / Penson

ASUU: Labour mobilize for nationwide protest, three-day warning strike

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday, said it has fully mobilized all its affiliates across sectors for a total shut down of the economy today.

The two-day nationwide protest is in solidarity with the over five months strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Addressing affiliates ahead of the protest for Lagos zone, NLC Chairman, Lagos Council, Funmi Sessi, described as insensitive, government’s attitude to universities workers’ plights.

She said as early as 6:00a.m., all workers would converge under the bridge at Ikeja and march to Government House, Alausa, to deliver a letter from the NLC national body to Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu.

The protest, she said, is to compel the Federal Government to meet the demands of ASUU and address the poor handling of the education sector.

She said: “We are already fully mobilized. We will be on the street using the protest to drum support for parents of the students, who have been home for this long period,” she said.

According to her, NLC has charged all the private institutions owned by the state government to abstain from going to work, adding that it is the directive from the national body that Lagos State University (LASU) and other state-owned institutions should join the protest as workers.

“If the government like, let them bring all their armoured tanks and security agencies, we will face them. We are using this opportunity to tell all institutions in Lagos to come out in solidarity with us because the reward will be for all. Injury to one is an injury to all,” she added.

Sessi also emphasized that the national grid should go down to zero and for health workers, only emergency services would be allowed.

Speaking at the meeting, Zonal Coordinator, ASUU, Lagos, Adelaja Odukoya, maintained that the dispute that caused unions in the universities to be on prolonged strike was a deep-rooted crisis.

He said: “The struggle is in the interest of our children. Enough is enough, government must fund education. If we allow government to continue, they will destroy …

Education / Health / News

Crack in ASUU, as medical lecturers distance selves from strike

The ongoing strike embarked upon by four university-based unions has taken a new twist, as lecturers in medical schools of some Federal Universities have distanced themselves from the industrial action.

This came on a day the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, said the Federal Government’s promise of immediate reply to its submission to the committee set up to negotiate with it had not been fulfilled, nearly a month after.

In a letter to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, by the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, UMTH, branch, the lecturers said they never joined the strike and, consequently, requested for payment of their withheld salaries from March to June 2022.

The lecturers also sent the same letter to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, as well as the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed. The letter, dated June 29, 2022, signed by the Assistant Secretary of the union, Dr. Mohammed Abdulahi, and entitled: ‘Request for Payment of Our Withheld Salaries from March-June 2022’, read: “We, members of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital branch, majority of which form the College of Medical Sciences Academic Board, University of Maiduguri, wish to kindly request for payment of our withheld salaries from March 2022-June 2022.

This is because our members (medical lecturers in the University of Maiduguri) have been patriotically doing their work, which includes teaching, training and conducting examinations of medical students throughout the period of the ongoing strike.”

They drew the attention of the minister to their earlier correspondences in March, with the Provost, College of Medicine, and Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, notifying them of their resolve to remain at work, notwithstanding the strike declared by ASUU.

They explained that the proactive step was taken in case the Federal Government decides to stop the salaries of ASUU members.

The medical lecturers, therefore, appealed for the kind intervention of the minister to encourage their patriotic members to …

Education / News

NANS president to students: Expect good news soon

The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Sunday Asefon, has told students to expect good news soon.

Asefon spoke on a day the Federal Governor through the Minister of Labor, Chris Ngige, also gave the same hope.

Ngige spoke against the backdrop of progress in the negotiation with the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

Asefon, writing on Facebook on Wednesday, said: “Good news soon Nigerian students!!!” Ngige also on Wednesday said the Federal Government has been meeting with the ASUU over its lingering strike and assured Nigerians that the dispute with the lecturers will be resolved soon.

Ngige, who spoke after the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja, said the next meeting with ASUU is scheduled for Thursday.

He said: “As the issue is bordered on money, remunerations, welfare, we did another conciliation meeting inviting the Ministry of Finance, Budget Office of the Federation, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and again, with their employers on the 1st of March.

“After that, it became clear that two cardinal things were still keen: the issue of renegotiation of their welfare package as in the 2009 agreement; that agreement says you can review every five years, so, that issue stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Then another issue arose in that agreement – the payment platform of university transparency, accountability solution, which they say they’ve invented.

“They said they don’t want to be on IPPIS; that IPPIS was amputating their salaries and taking off certain allowances, and so, that it is not capturing their peculiarities.

“So, we now have to ask them to go back to these places, form committees with them.

“Education took them on the issue of 2009 agreement, which is renegotiation of their conditions of service, emolument, their remuneration allowances.

“Therefore, salaries, income and wages, and Ministry of Finance that produce the money are involved.

“So, they went back.”

The former governor also dismissed talks that the Federal Government has a different payment table for trade unions in tertiary institutions.

Ngige noted that …

Education / News

Strike: Labour appeals to ASUU to shift ground

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has appealed to the striking university lecturers to shift ground in their demands by making some concessions so that students can return to school.

Monday Ogbodum, Cross River chapter Chairman of the TUC, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabar on Tuesday.

Ogbodum said the Academy Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had “clearly” made their points known to the world with the prolonged strike and advised government not to always allow issues to degenerate to strike before taking action.

The labour leader further added that government should always put human face to its action or inaction in dealing with labour unions, to avoid prolonged industrial action in the country. He noted that the peculiarity of university education was such that strike should not be allowed as an option for agitation or meeting the needs of workers.

The TUC Chairman said it would be difficult to regain the loss ground in Nigeria tertiary education system because of the industrial action by the university lecturers in the last two years.

According to him, “While I’m appealing to the ASUU to shift ground, I also ask the government to always put human face in their action.

“ASUU has proven its points to the government; the strike is justifiable but ASUU should also know that negotiations are always a win-win situation and not winner takes all.

“Our children have suffered enough and most of us do not have the resources to send our children abroad or private universities.

“I make bold to tell you that even the lecturers have their own pains from this strike.”

Ogbodum, however, condemned the no- work-no-pay policy of the government. The union had declared a total strike in February to compel government to act on a variety of issues that had lingered between both parties for years.…

Education / News

We’ve forced government into renegotiating 2009 agreement — ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities says it has forced the Federal Government into renegotiating the 2009 agreement with it.

The union made this known in a memo titled: “Strike bulletin number 6,” by its National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke.

In the memo made available to all branches of the union, Osodeke said the renegotiation had reached an advanced stage.

He said so far, the union has had a total of five meetings with the representatives of the Federal Government, while two meetings were held with the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu. The memo read in part: “Our iron-cast resolve has forced the government to sit down and negotiate with us.

“We have had five meetings with the Federal Government team and two meetings with the Minister of Education.

“The renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement is progressing smoothly and has reached an advanced stage. However, we must remain focused to the end of this struggle.

“The University Transparency and Accountability Solution has been tested for the third time.

“So far, the National Information Technology Development Agency has tested UTAS and University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System, and will start testing the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System by next week.

“We are undeterred by the antics of some government officials in this respect.

“It is clear that hunger, misinformation, distortion of facts, intimidation and other sundry acts of arm-twisting have failed to break our resolve to date; they should not break us now.

“Ignore fake news and divisive information emanating from social media and a section of the press. If in doubt over any issue, contact your chairperson for correct information. “We are at the threshold of victory. Let us keep faith with the union. A people united can never be defeated.”…

Education / News

Osun University not joining ASUU strike, says management

The Management of the Osun State University (UniOSUN), has declared that the school has no intention of joining the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

This is contained in a statement issued by the University’s Public Relations Officer, Adesoji Ademola, on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the management’s position is contrary to comments made by the ASUU branch acting chairman of the school, Dr Wende Olaosebikan.

Adesoji, said that the institution will not join the ASUU strike, so as not to disrupt the school academic calendar. “The selling point of UniOsun is that we don’t miss or extend our academic calendar. Our four years is always four years.

“We have, at a point called the ASUU national chairman, and we made our position known concerning joining ASUU strikes.

“We want to inform the University students, stakeholders and the general public that UniOsun has no plan to join the ASUU strike.

“Our students have resumed the rain semester academic session and lectures will commence very soon,” Adesoji said.

Adesoji urged all students to disregard any information on UniOsun will soon join the ASUU strike.

NAN reports that on Feb. 15, ASUU began a four-week rollover strike following the Federal Government’s failure to meet its demands.

The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said the decision was taken after the union’s National Executive Committee meeting.

Osodeke said since the last meeting the union had with the federal government in December 2021, it had not received any formal invitation from government.

ASUU extended the action by another two months to afford the government more time to address all of its demands.

The union also accused the government of displaying an indifferent attitude toward its demands.

Osodeke, in a statement to announce the extension of the rollover strike, noted that the national executive council of the union “was disappointed that Government did not treat the matters involved with utmost urgency they deserved during the four-week period as expected of a reasonable, responsive, and …

Education / News / politics

ASUU Executive Committee announces extension of strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has extended its ongoing strike by 12 weeks.

The decision, announced on in the early hours of Monday, was taken at an emergency National Executive Council meeting held at ASUU Secretariat in Abuja.

The President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, confirmed the development on Monday.

Osodeke said the Federal Government was not sincere with the union and its officials were yet to meet with it. The emergency meeting, which had in attendance principal officers and branch chairmen, started on Sunday and ended early Monday morning.

The initial warning strike was declared on March 14, 2022.

ASUU’s demands include the non-implementation of the Memorandum of Action signed with the Federal Government in December 2020 on funding for revitalisation of public universities (both federal and states) and renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement.

Others are earned academic allowances, state universities, promotion arrears, withheld salaries, non-remittance of third-party deductions and rejection of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution that ASUU technical team developed to replace the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System.…

Education / News / politics

ASUU strike: Varsity lecturers making negotiation difficult – Ngige

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has blamed the Academic Staff Union of Universities for prolonging the industrial strike in the country.

The minister said the union had made negotiation difficult for both parties.

Ngige disclosed this in a statement by Patience Onuobia, Acting Head of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The minister was reacting to the insinuations that he was responsible for the ongoing action by the union. Ngige, however, said he had done what many could not do to forestall strikes by ASUU.

According to him, negotiation now is being made impossible by ASUU.

He said: “For example, ASUU insists that National Information and Technology Development Agency should take the payment platform, University Transparency Accountability Solution that it developed.

“That they should deploy it for payment in the university whether it is good or bad, whether it failed integrity and vulnerability test or not.

“ASUU members know that fraud committed on payment platforms can run into billions.

“If a hacker adds zeros to hundreds, it becomes billions.”

Ngige noted that NITDA brought out the report of its test on UTAS, noting that it passed the user acceptability but failed vulnerability and integrity tests that were the two critical tests that prevented fraud.

He said: “As a conciliator, I spoke to ASUU and NITDA to continue the test and see whether they could make up the lapses and arrive at 100 per cent because that is what NITDA insists on.

“NITDA said they cannot even take the platform at 99.9 per cent of vulnerability and integrity.

“That they can’t take that risk on a payment system, that it can be hacked into.

“These are the issues.

“So if you hear someone saying Ngige is responsible, it is wrong.

“I’m not the one that implements.

“I’m the conciliator.

“I conciliate, so that there will be no more warfare and even in conciliation, once I apprehend, the parties go back to status quo ante, which means, you call off the strike.

“ASUU …

Education / News

ASUU Strike: UI management orders closure of institution

The management of the University of Ibadan (UI) has closed down the institution due to the extended industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The Registrar of the institution, Olubunmi Faluyi, Thursday made the position of the management known in a special bulletin addressed to the students.

According to the bulletin, students have been asked to vacate their halls of residence with immediate effect.

It read in part: “Management, at its meeting on Wednesday, 16 March, 2022, deliberated on the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which had now been extended by eight (8) weeks.

“As a result, academic activities in the University have become paralyzed. “Consequently, the Vice-Chancellor, on behalf of the Senate, has directed that the University be closed until further notice,” it read.

Faluyi said post-graduate students who have paid their school fees and undergraduate students who are on industrial attachment or practical training are exempted from this vacation notice.

“Such students are to visit the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs for accommodation arrangement.

“A new date of resumption will be communicated in due course.

“Management wishes our students a safe journey to their various destinations”

Recall that ASUU on Monday 14th March extended its one month industrial action by eight weeks, citing inability of the government to meet its demand. NAN…