Talks fail as UNIJOS strike enters 7th week

Stakes are high after the management of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) failed to reach agreement as strike by lecturers enters its 7th week.

The union embarked on what its leadership tagged “total, comprehensive and indefinite strike” on September 29, after disagreement between it and the management on a sixpoint demand, among which is the payment of academic allowances between 2009 and 2012. The strike has paralysed academic activities at the university.

The UNIJOS ASUU chairman, Dr. Christopher Piwuna, told Daily Trust yesterday that there has not been anything concrete from the talks they had with the management, explaining that “the university is still dragging its feet, and has not done anything meaningful or serious for consideration by our congress.” He said the congress met and resolved not to accept the payment of allowances in instalments and continue the strike until all its demands were implemented.

Dr. Piwuna said the union met with the management two weeks ago, and was yet to receive any official communications since then, expressing further concerns on efforts being made to resolve the conflict.

UNIJOS spokesman, Abdullahi Abdullahi, said they met with the union last week Thursday, contrary to claims by ASUU that the last meeting was two weeks ago.

He also pushed the blame for the non-implementation of the allowances on ASUU, explaining that the lecturers failed to submit themselves for verification, a condition necessary for the payment of the earned academic allowances.

“They must be verified and paid on first come, first served basis. Where do they expect the university to get the money to pay them, when they have paralysed activities in the institution and all revenue sources,” Abdullahi also said.