The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sign and implement the renegotiated 2009 ASUU – FGN agreement in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Principles outlined in the ILO Convention.
According to ASUU, the President’s response to the appeal could prevent the collapse of public universities.
The organisation also stated that it will ensure that academics’ working conditions did not provoke another round of unnecessary strike action.
Prof. Adelaja Odukoya, ASUU’s Lagos zone coordinator, made the plea yesterday while speaking to the media at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago Iwoye, Ogun State.
The conference was attended by seven branch chairmen: Prof. Kayode Adebayo (University of Lagos), Dr. Isaac Oyewunmi (Lagos State University, Ojo), Dr. Akolade Lapite (Lagos State University of Education), Dr. Tayo Okulaja (Lagos State University of Technology), Dr. Gbenga Akinleye (Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Dr. Wale Ositoye (Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun), and Dr. Wasiu Olooto (OOU).
The immediate past branch chairman of the ASUU, Dr. Joel Okewale (OOU), Dr. Dele Ashiru (UNILAG), and previous zonal coordinator Dr. Olusiji Sowande, were also in attendance.
Prof. Odukoya said the union was seeking an interface with the President on how to resolve all issues plaguing the public universities in Nigeria.
He noted that by not signing and implementing the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN since 2021 after it was concluded and which both government and ASUU committed massive resources to at the time, the government had tasked the ASUU’s patience beyond bearable limit.
He urged the Tinubu-led Federal Government to without further delay, set in motion machineries for the quick signing and implementation of the agreement to avoid another round of industrial crises in the nation’s public universities.
He identified other issues requiring urgent attention of the Tinubu’s administration as poor funding and proliferation of state and federal universities, non – release of monthly subventions, irregular payment of staff salaries, decayed and dilapidated infrastructures, non-payment/release of check-off and other third party deductions etc.
The Lagos zone coordinator lamented that visitors of federal and state universities have turned establishment of universities to constituency projects.
He said, “For the umpteenth time, our Union again call the attention of the public to the insincere proliferation and mushrooming of universities by both the Federal Government and Visitors to State Universities.
“The most disturbing aspect of this anomaly is that while most Governments, at Federal and State levels have not been adequately funding existing universities (inadequate subventions; non-release of monthly subventions; irregular payment of staff salaries, decayed and dilapidated infrastructures, non-payment/release of check-off and other third party deductions etc.), Visitors of Federal and State universities have turned establishment of universities to constituency projects.“