FG moves to end ASUU, University workers strikes, begins arrears payment

The Federal Government has commenced the payment of minimum wage arrears, which it owed University lecturers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and others as part of efforts to end ongoing strikes by the unions.

The Chairman, ASUU FUTMinna, Dr. Gbolahan Bolarin, confirmed this in an interview with The PUNCH correspondent in Abuja on Thursday.

The ABUSITES reported that the unions are currently on strike following the inability of the government to meet their demands including the payment of minimum wage arrears and the release of revitalization funds, among others.

The ongoing ASUU strike started on February 14, 2022, with a four-week warning to the Federal Government to fulfill its side of the agreement.

The union on May 9 announced an extension of the strike by three months to allow the government to address the issue.

Confirming the payment on Thursday, Bolarin, said, “Some of my members got alert of their minimum wage arrears; their salaries are still pending.”

Hope for Poly Students

There is renewed hope for Nigerian polytechnic students as the federal government has also commenced payment of minimum wage arrears of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) currently on an initial two-week warning strike.

Confirming the payment in Abuja on Thursday, the National President of ASUP, Dr. Anderson Ezeibe, however, said that was just the beginning.

He said, “The government has started responding. They just started paying the salary/minimum wage arrears, the one they have refused to pay.

“However, that is just one of the demands, so we have not reached anywhere. They have not attended to the others, but I can confirm that people have started receiving alerts of the arrears owed.”

We’re open to suggestions on new demands – ASUU Chair

Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said it is open to suggestions on new methods to make the Federal Government accede to its demands rather than resorting to frequent industrial action.

This comes as critics of the union and some students had called on the union to explore new strategies to make the government do its bidding.

The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNILAG branch, Dr. Dele Ashiru who stated this in an interview with The Nation, added that the union would implement whatever recommendation it got.

Ashiru, who said the strike was the only option left for the union, stated that ASUU had exhausted strategies that could make the government act.

“ASUU has exhausted all strategies that we know. Strike is the last option. And this is the option left that the government will listen to. As researchers and scholars in the university system, we are open to suggestions and we will implement whatever recommendation we are given.

“Recently, a similar thing occurred in the UK and within a twinkle of an eye, everything was resolved.

“Here, they are busy raising N100 million to buy forms. Corruption agencies are yet to ask any of them how they got the money with a minimum wage of N30,000,” he said.

University students continue to barricade roads

The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Sunday Asefon, on Thursday, led university students in Ekiti State to protest the continuous closure of public universities over the industrial action embarked upon by ASUU.

Asefon, who said he joined the protest organized by NANS/ Joint Campus Committee, Ekiti axis to compel the Federal Government to hearken to the striking university teachers’ demands in solidarity, said, “The rally being planned by NANS national body is coming soon. I decided to join this because I am from Ekiti and I have to partake in solidarity.”

The protest carried out by students from Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, and Federal University, Oye Ekiti caused discomfort along major roads in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, as the students trekked from the Adebayo area to Fajuyi Park in the heart of the city as they mounted barricades at intervals along with Ado – Adebayo – Iworoko Road.

Asefon, who lamented that the country’s education was being stifled by the protracted closure of universities, said, “What we are saying is that we are tired of staying at home. Our students want to return to school.”