The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has commenced a four-week nationwide strike.
ASUU announced the strike on Monday after a long meeting that started on Sunday evening at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
READ MORE: Strike: Not again, anxious Nigerians warn FG, ASUU
ASUU president Emmanuel Victor Osodeke said the industrial action is “comprehensive and total”.
Osodeke earlier lamented that the union’s demands on the revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) promotion arrears, renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, and inconsistencies in Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS) payments have been neglected after meetings with Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige.
The union had also earlier issued a three-week ultimatum to the Nigerian government, nudging it to address all pending issues to avert another round of strike.
Checks showed that a number of universities already preparing for semester examinations are apprehensive. Students are particularly jittery, expressing fears that they may be forced to go home if ASUU makes good its threat to down tools.
Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), for instance, is billed to commence first semester examinations by the end of this month.
Also, UNILAG students were preparing to start their examinations after hosting the National University Games Association (NUGA) in March.
The latest strike action is a continuation of a nine-month strike that grounded academic activities 2020 for the same reasons.
The lecturers threatened to embark on another round of industrial action following the alleged “government’s unfaithfulness” in the implementation of the Memorandum of Action it signed.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently assured Nigerians that his administration would honour the agreements with ASUU to prevent lecturers downing tools in universities.
Buhari said the government “is committed to this engagement and dialogue, and I urge them to stay the course towards a joint resolution in the best interest of our children and nation.”
