The continuing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been extended by four weeks. This information was disclosed in a statement made public following its meeting on July 31, 2022.
The union claimed that the Nigerian government’s lack of commitment to ending the strike made an urgent meeting of its NEC necessary. The union also added while thanking the Nigeria Labour Congress for its contributions towards ending the strike, that the additional four weeks will be used to monitor the government’s seriousness and commitment to resolving its concerns
The statement reads in part; “Following extensive deliberations and taking cognisance of Government’s past failures to abide by its own timelines in addressing issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MOA), NEC resolved that the strike be rolled over for four weeks to give Government more time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues. The roll-over strike action is with effect from 12.01a.m. on Monday, 1st August, 2022.”
Background
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, issued a warning strike on February 14, 2022, amid concerns about inadequate welfare conditions, the failure to renegotiate previously signed agreements, and the purported imposition of IPPIS by the government.
Academic activities at all of the public universities in the nation have been put on hold as a result of the unions’ repeated announcements that the industrial action would continue. The university lectures alleged that they had become tired of the Nigerian government’s broken promises and disregard for contracts.
Effect of the ongoing long break
Despite several meetings, interventions, discussions, and FG-ASUU negotiations that have produced no progress, the strike, which has been ongoing for almost five months and some days as of today, appears to have no end in sight.
Classrooms have been closed for five months in a row, campus environments are empty, and undergraduates are lounging around, while many businesses are destroyed, leaving the owners in unfavourable conditions.
