In a statement released on Wednesday, ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke expressed frustration over the government’s delay tactics, accusing them of exacerbating the crisis in public universities.
“ASUU has resolved to give the Federal Government an additional 14 days, starting from Monday, September 23, 2024, to satisfactorily address all outstanding matters. Any failure to resolve these issues will lead to industrial action, and the union should not be blamed for the ensuing disharmony,” Osodeke stated.
Key demands from the union include the implementation of the 2021 agreement, the payment of salaries withheld from staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments affected by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and the settlement of outstanding third-party deductions, such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions.
ASUU is also calling for adequate funding to revitalize public universities, as partially allocated in the 2023 Federal Government Budget, along with the disbursement of Earned Academic Allowances. Other pressing issues include the unchecked proliferation of universities by federal and state governments, the implementation of university visitation panel reports, the reversal of what they termed the illegal dissolution of Governing Councils, and the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a replacement for IPPIS.
