The Chairman, Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-owned Universities in Nigeria, Mallam Yusuf Alli, SAN has urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities to shelve the ongoing strike by the union.
Alli made the plea in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja
The PUNCH had reported that ASUU on Monday, February 14, declared a total and comprehensive four-week strike over the failure of the Federal Government to honor the lingering demands of the union.
The strike was declared at a press conference addressed by the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke. Osodeke explained that the union tried to avoid the strike but the Federal Government is unresponsive to the union’s demands.
The union stated that the demands of the lecturers’ union have barely changed since the signing of the ASUU/FG 2009 agreement.
According to the union, these demands include the sustainability of the university autonomy, which the introduction of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System for the payment of its emoluments violates. The union seeks its replacement with its own University Transparency and Accountability Solution.
Other demands include the endorsement of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, which it said was concluded in May 2021; release of the reports of visitation panels to federal universities, and distortions in salary payment challenges.
ASUU had also demanded adequate funding for the revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowance, improved funding of state universities, and promotion arrears.
Speaking to our correspondent in Abuja, Ali explained that a strike at this point may lead to a collapse in the nation’s education sector.
“When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers, the people who are at the receiving end of these agreements are the children of the poor who have nowhere to go. Most of the people involved in the signing of the agreements have their children in schools where there are no strikes.
“We should know that Universities in Nigeria now are facing many challenges. We have the problem of shortage of lecturers, school facilities are not upgraded among others, a strike now may lead to the collapse of the education system. We plead with ASUU to please shelve the warning strike. We are also calling on the Federal Government to please reach out to settle so that all scores can be settled.”
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