Tuesday’s meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has again ended in deadlock as agreement was not reached on how to end the six months strike which has led to the closure of all federal universities across the country, meaning that the strike by public university lecturers would continue.
The striking lecturers had met with the Professor Nimi Briggs Committee on Tuesday at the National University Commission in Abuja with high hopes of resolving the impasse.
However, some members of ASUU, who spoke on the condition of anonymity told reporters that members of the Briggs renegotiation committee did not come with any new offer on the table.
Instead, they said, the committee pleaded with the lecturers to suspend the ongoing strike, with promises that their concerns will be included in the 2023 budget.
According to the source, the meeting, which started at about 12pm, lasted for about three hours without any agreement reached.
ASUU’s Demands
ASUU embarked on a four-week warning strike on February 14, 2022.
On March 14, 2022, the union extended the industrial action by another two months to allow the government meet all of its demands, while another 12-weeks extension was announced on May 9, 2022.
The union has remained on strike since then, vowing to persist until its demands are met.
ASUU is seeking improved welfare, revitalisation of public universities and academic autonomy among other demands.
Another bone of contention for the academics is the non-payment of university revitalisation funds, which amounts to about N1.1 trillion, even as the Federal Government has said it doesn’t have the money to pay such an amount, citing low oil prices during the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The agreement was signed in 2009.
ASUU also, rejected the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, platform for payment of salaries of its members, proposing an alternative payroll system - the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS which it said was more transparent than IPPIS.
