ASUU protests over non-implementation of 2009 agreement by FG

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), has expressed dismay over the continued refusal of the Federal Government to implement the negotiation it reached with the Union in 2009.

The union also expressed dissatisfaction over what it referred to as the neglect of the educational sector through the undermining of the patriotic efforts of ASUU members.

The Union made this known during a peaceful protest on Tuesday in Ile-Ife led by the OAU Branch Chairman, Prof. Anthony Odiwe.

The Union members, during the protest, carried placards with different inscriptions, such as “IPPIS is a scam," “Stop Brain Drain," “Give proper remuneration to lecturers," and “A nation that values education is a nation that develops," among others.

Speaking, Odiwe said the protest was to draw the attention of Nigerians and students to the neglect of the educational sector by the government since 2009.

According to him, there is an urgent need for the funding of the public universities based on the FGN-ASUU MoU of 2012, 2013, and the MoA of 2017, the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, and the release of the unpaid salaries of members on sabbatical.

Others include payment of promotion arrears and earned academic allowance, implementation of the reports of the visitation panels, illegal dissolution of governing councils in federal and state governments, and implementation of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) in place of IPPIS, among others.

The chairman noted that the refusal of the government to implement the agreement, even partially, led to the 2022 strike.

“We called off the strike because of our interest in the system and our students, but instead of asking the government to address those issues, they stated that they were punishing us.

“Our seven-month salary was withheld; they claimed that they had paid four months salary, but what we received was two months salary.

“Even the third-party reduction that was removed from our salary was not remitted to date,” he stated.

The chairman begged religious leaders, traditional rulers, and stakeholders to appeal to President Bola Tinubu to implement the agreement.

Also, Dr. Adeola Egbedokun, the Coordinator, Akure Zone of ASUU, lamented that efforts by the Union to meet with the Ministers of Education and Labour on the issues proved abortive.

He said that the union was always ready for roundtable dialogue with the federal government.