ASUU suspends strike, asks FG to fulfill agreement reached

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its strike.

The National President of ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, announced the suspension at a press briefing yesterday night in Abuja.

Ogunyemi said the union was suspending the strike with the hope that the federal government would fulfill the agreement reached with the union. He said that October had been agreed upon as deadline for the federal government to release the first tranch of N20 billion for funding of public varsities.

He said, “After an elaborate and extensive consultation process, the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU has agreed to conditionally suspend the ongoing action, taking into cognizance that major proposals from government to address the contending issues in the strike action has a deadline of the end of October, 2017. All members of ASUU are to resume work after their branch congresses tomorrow, 19th September, 2017. However, ASUU will not hesitate to review its position should government reneges on the signed Memorandum of Action.”

He said issues that were deliberated upon before the strike was suspended include, “Funding for the Revitalization of Public Universities, Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), Registration of Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company (NUPEMCO) and Pension Matters; Universities Staff Schools, Fractionalization and NonPayment of Salaries, Exemption of the University System from TSA, and Poor funding and the proliferation of State Universities.”

Ogunyemi said that with the commencement of negotiation with the federal government on 12th August, 2017, series of meetings and deliberations were held with the representatives of the Federal Government and agreement reached on a number of issues which are contained in a Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed yesterday, 18thSeptember, 2017.

“The current resolutions, like every resolution in a civil engagement, are based on mutual trust. It is our ardent hope that our trust will not be yet again misplaced. Consistent with the said prompt response, we expect that this government will abide strictly by all the timelines set out in the current resolutions. Our union deems it necessary to give a precautionary advice: should government unilaterally vary the agreement(s) it has signed with our union, we should not be held responsible for the consequences,” he said.