The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has given the Federal Government a three-week ultimatum to meet its demands contained in the Memorandum of Action (MoA), signed by both parties on December 23, 2020.
ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, stated this on Monday 15th of November 2021 while addressing reporters in Abuja.
He warned that the union might be compelled to embark on another nationwide strike should the government fail to implement the Memorandum of Action signed with ASUU prior to the suspension of the last industrial action.
According to the ASUU President, all the issues, including those of unpaid academic earned allowances and the universities revitalisation fund have not been addressed almost one year after an agreement was reached.
The ultimatum is part of the resolutions reached at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of ASUU held in the nation’s capital.
ASUU embarked on a nationwide strike in March 2020 following its disagreement with the government over the funding of the universities and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), among other issues.
It had proposed the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) to replace IPPIS
Also, The Union also set up an independent committee to probe what it described as questionable appointment of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, as a Professor of Cyber Security at the Federal University of Technology Owerri.
Osodeke listed several criteria for the position of professorship of which the minister was said to lack thus, not qualified for the position.
ASUU rejected Pantami’s academic position in its entirety saying, “We know something is wrong in the appointment of Isa Pantami as a Professor, it doesn’t look right.”