ASUU, FUD Threatens Strike, Gives FG 3-Week Ultimatum Over Unmet Demands

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Federal University Dutse (FUD) in Jigawa State has issued a three-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet the union’s demands.

During a press conference held at the ASUU secretariat in Dutse, Comrade Salim Ahmed, chairperson of ASUU’s FUD branch, stated that if the government fails to respond positively, the union will mobilize its members for further action.

“The Expanded Executive Officers of ASUU at Federal University Dutse met today, Wednesday, 19th June 2024, to review the union’s engagements with the Federal and State governments on addressing the persistent issues in Nigerian public universities,” Ahmed said.

He criticized the government for ignoring the union’s leadership since the current administration began on 29th May 2023. Despite efforts to engage with the government, all attempts have failed.

Ahmed highlighted the deteriorating working and living conditions of ASUU members, which have led to a significant decline in the quality of university education in the country. He noted that the government’s failure to honor agreements made with the previous administration, including the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU 2019), Memorandum of Action (MoA 2022), and the renegotiated FG/ASUU 2009 agreement, is a major point of contention.

Specific issues include funding for the revitalization of public universities, respect for university autonomy, and the proliferation of new public universities without adequate funding for existing ones. Ahmed also mentioned the history of stalled renegotiations, with the latest draft agreement produced by the late Professor Emeritus Nimi Briggs left unsigned.

The union emphasized unresolved issues from previous agreements, including illegal dissolution of governing councils, withheld salaries, inefficiencies with the IPPIS payment system, and unpaid third-party deductions. The adoption of UTAS in place of IPPIS is also a key demand.

Ahmed urged the public to press the government to address these issues to avoid an unnecessary and avoidable industrial crisis in the already fragile university system.