Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may strike notice to the federal government over its failure to implement the agreement reached with the union, THISDAY has learnt.
The union leaders met in Abuja last night with all the zonal branches to harmonise the union’s position on the alleged non-fulfillment of the agreement contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the federal government.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who confirmed the meeting in a telephone conversation with THISDAY, however declined to respond to further enquiries on the outcome of the meeting.
However, a source privy to the meeting, told THISDAY that most of the resolutions from the ASUU branches across the country were in support of proceeding on strike.
The source stated that after going through the reports presented by the zones, the ASUU president still went ahead to present the progress of the implementation of the MoU.
But the various branches insisted that the level of implementation of the agreement was unacceptable.
ASUU is demanding the full implementation of 2020 Memorandum of Action it signed with the federal government.
At the fifth and sixth convocations of Federal University Oye Ekiti yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari insisted that the Federal Government had released funds for payment of earned allowances and revitalisation to universities.
Buhari identified funding as a major problem confronting the Nigerian university system and as well the primary basis of incessant industrial actions in the ivory towers.
The president said his administration had “consistently paid serious attention to the issue of university funding”.
Buhari, who was represented by a Director in the National Universities Commission, John Ahmadu, said his administration had handled funding issues in universities “through multiple sources, including education budgets across various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, but most importantly through the Federal Ministry of Education as well as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
“As a government, we will not relent on this commitment. We will continue to support the university system through improved funding and infrastructural development. In this regard, my government has repositioned the TETFUND to be able to address the infrastructural gaps in our tertiary institutions.
“As evidence of our commitment to the welfare of university staff, the Federal Government recently released funds for the payment of Earned Allowances as well as the revitalisation of universities. We will continue to do more within available resources considering other competing national needs,” he said.
