The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced that its members are on the brink of a complete strike due to the federal government’s failure to honor agreements made with the union.
The impending strike is also attributed to certain subversive individuals exploiting the Integrated Personnel Payment Information System (IPPIS) and ignoring the Federal Executive Council’s directive to remove ASUU from this payment platform.
In a press briefing on Friday in Makurdi, Benue State, the Chairman of ASUU-Nsukka Zone, Comrade Raphael Amokaha, emphasized that those benefitting from IPPIS are resistant to change. He noted that instead of adopting the homegrown University Transparency Accountability Solutions (UTAS), the government introduced the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS).
Amokaha stated, “It is clear that those profiting from IPPIS are unwilling to relinquish control of federal universities for their own financial gain, hence the shift from IPPIS to new IPPIS and now GIFMIS. We urge the government to identify and hold accountable those involved in this persistent rent-seeking.”
The union also criticized the government for failing to release the balance of the eight months’ withheld salaries of ASUU members, as well as for not paying Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and other entitlements.
While acknowledging the reconstitution of University Governing Councils, ASUU condemned the illegal dissolution of some Councils before their tenure was completed, adding this to their list of grievances.
ASUU expressed frustration over the government’s neglect of the 2009 Agreement, reached through collective bargaining, despite numerous negotiation efforts.
They expressed hope that President Tinubu’s administration would be different, recalling his promise to prevent strikes in universities. ASUU called on the President to avert the imminent strike by directing the immediate signing and implementation of the draft agreement.
The union also reiterated the need for adequate funding for both state and federal universities, advocating for at least 26% of the annual budget to be allocated to education, as recommended by UNESCO since 1992.
