At Last, ASUU Begins Four-Week Rollover Strike, Governors Oppose Action In State Universities

The Academic Staff Union of Universities on  Monday began a four-week strike following the Federal Government’s failure to meet its demands.

The National President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, disclosed this during a press conference at the University of Lagos, Akoka, after the union’s National Executive Committee meeting, which started on Friday.

Osodeke said since the last meeting the union  had with the Federal Government in December 2021, it had not received any formal invitation from government.

As such, Osodeke said NEC resolved to embark on “a four week-roll-over total and comprehensive strike action” beginning from Monday (yesterday).

ASUU’s declaration, however, attracted different reactions with some state governments advising lecturers in their universities against joining the strike.

The state governments  said the trade dispute was between the Federal Government and ASUU, adding that they did not sign any agreement with the union.

But the ASUU president at the press conference in Lagos justified the decision to commence an immediate strike action.

He stated, “Considering that the government has failed to fully implement the Memorandum of Action it signed with the ASUU on December 23, 2020; given that the draft report of the renegotiated 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement has been submitted for finalisation for more than nine months; and noting that the forceful payment of ASUU members’ salaries and emoluments with the integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System and non-adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution have continued to short-change our members, NEC resolved to embark on a four-week roll-over total and comprehensive strike action beginning from Monday, 14th February 2022.”

Later in an interview with Punch, ASUU Chairman at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta , Dr. Gbenga Adeleye, explained that strike rollover meant the union would not suspend its current  strike  if the Federal Government failed to meet the demands of the union .

He stated, “The strike has a time lapse for which we expect government to attend to those issues . Now , if they do not attend to those issues , we are at liberty to start another strike again.

“Why we say it is a rollover strike is because normally we suspend a strike and forget about it  and wait till the promises are fulfilled .This one, its  suspension may be reviewed and we can  start another one almost at the expiration of the first one.”

-Punch