The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has warned that the Federal Government should be held responsible for any industrial unrest in Nigeria’s public universities.
ASUU issued the warning in a statement signed by the union’s Federal University, Dutse, FUD, Chairman, Comrade Dr Salim Ahmad.
The union noted that over the past four years, Nigeria’s public universities have been in a state of industrial disharmony, leading to two costly and avoidable strike actions.
“The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has made several concerted efforts to dialogue with government officials, including the President, with a view to addressing the outstanding issues in the agreement and the various memoranda signed between the Union and the Federal Government.
” Unfortunately, the Tinubu administration, like the Buhari’s, has been unyielding.
“The nonchalant attitude of the administration to our legitimate and reasonable demands compelled the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU, following wide consultations, to convene a meeting at the University of Ibadan from 17th to 18th August, 2024, where it exhaustively deliberated on the contending issues and resolved to give a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government of Nigeria to address them.
“This ultimatum was duly communicated to the government through the Minister of Education via a letter dated 20th August, 2024,” the statement said.
The statement added that after the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum, the Federal Government has not demonstrated any genuine commitment to address the issues in contention.
ASUU said failure of the Federal Government to meet the monetary and non-monetary demands of the union is brewing industrial disharmony in Nigeria’s public universities.