ASUU to FG: Conclude Pending Talks on Key Demands Now
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the Federal Government to complete discussions on the union’s demands.
ASUU expressed worries about what it sees as the government’s inconsistent approach to negotiations with union representatives.
The union cautioned that ongoing uncertainty could harm the education sector.
ASUU shared its views in a statement from its President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Taraba State University in Jalingo.
During this meeting, union members reviewed the latest proposals from the government’s negotiating team.
The university teachers’ union called on the Federal Government to keep its promises or risk facing another nationwide strike.
At an emergency NEC meeting on October 21, the union decided to halt a warning strike, even though it deemed the government’s proposals grossly inadequate.
The decision to suspend the strike aimed to allow for further negotiations and acknowledged the support from students, parents, the media, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and other concerned Nigerians.
ASUU stated it gave the government a one-month timeframe to finalize renegotiations in good faith.
However, two weeks into the suspension, the NEC assessed the progress made and found that the proposed salary increase was not enough to tackle the ongoing brain drain affecting the country’s universities.
While some non-monetary elements of the agreement have progressed, ASUU stressed that salary and working conditions remain critical issues needing urgent attention.
“We hope that our expectations, and the expectations of Nigerians for a quick and thorough resolution, are not disappointed.
“ASUU criticized government officials for undermining the negotiation process through misrepresentation and selective enforcement of agreements. The partial payment of promotion arrears from 2017 and the release of third-party deductions were seen as attempts to build trust rather than solutions to core issues.
“The union warned that framing these actions as significant progress misrepresents reality and threatens the negotiation process’s integrity,” the statement said.
The NEC urged the government to make the most of the remaining days in the one-month window to reach a thorough resolution, particularly to improve the living conditions of academics.
“This is not an unreasonable request,” the union said.
It pointed out that despite the government’s claims of economic troubles, revenues at both federal and state levels have risen significantly in recent years.
Data from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee showed that state revenues climbed from N3.92 trillion in 2022 to N5.81 trillion in 2024, while federal revenues increased from N3.42 trillion to N4.65 trillion during the same period.
The union argued that the real issue for the government is a lack of political will, not a shortage of funds.
It called on traditional rulers, community leaders, students, the NLC, and civil society to pressure the government to provide lecturers with a living wage.
ASUU’s seven demands include: renegotiating the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, ensuring sustainable funding for public universities, revitalizing universities, ending the alleged victimization of ASUU members at LASU, KSU (now Prince Abubakar Audu University), and FUTO, paying outstanding salary arrears of 25 to 35 percent, settling promotion arrears spanning over four years, and remitting outstanding third-party deductions.
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON THE PLAY STORE
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON THE APP STORE
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON WINDOWS
Visit EXAMSCHOLARS.COM for more info
