•As NEC delegates visit branches
By Gabriel Dike
Worried by the non-implementation of its outstanding demands by the Federal Government, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has begun a nationwide mobilization of members in public universities.
The decision to send mobilisation teams to the various ASUU branches was taken at the union’s last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Kaduna State University (LASU).
At the KASU meeting, branch chairmen briefed NEC members about the agitation of members towards the Federal Government for failure to address their outstanding demands.
Among ASUU’s outstanding demands includes non-completion of the 2009 renegotiation with government team, outstanding payment of Earned Academic Allowance, non-payment of withheld salaries, release of revitalization funds, injection of 1.3 trillion to public universities, and deployment of University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS).
Ahead of the mobilization team visit, ASUU branches chairmen have briefed their members on the proposed visit by NEC delegates and urged them to make themselves available to interact with the team.
One of the branch chairmen in a circular to his members informed them of that the branch would host the NEC team this week.
The circular reads: “In view of the persisting failures of the Federal Government of Nigeria to adequately address all the issues that precipitated our last strike action, and the fallouts thereafter, it was resolved at the last KASU NEC meeting that a NEC Mobilization Team will undertake a visitation to all branches to mobilize, interact and strategize for an appropriate and effective response to the callous negligence of the Federal Government towards university education and the welfare of university academics.
“Consequently, a three-man NEC Mobilization Team will visit our branch and hold congress with us on Wednesday, January 31st, 2024 by 10am at NEEDS Assessment Auditorium.”
The branch chairman described the participation of members as call to action, attend the proposed branch congress, demonstrate their unwavering commitment to ASUU and its leadership by mobilizing other members to attend the meeting, be a resource for an effective strategic response by ASUU to the Federal Government’s insensitivity to the union’s welfare and working conditions and should be prepared to engage constructively with the NEC mobilization team.
“Let us join hands to reclaim our place. Let us take our destiny in our own hands. It must be solidarity without compromise and we shall overcome,” he stated.
ASUU on February 14, 2022 embarked on indefinite strike for eight months. Government stopped payment of university lecturers salary and even dragged the union to National Industrial Court.