ASUU to review four-day-old warning strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday promised to review its four-day-old warning strike following the intervention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.

The National President of ASUU, Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi, stated this at a meeting with the Speaker at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.

The meeting was convened to halt the university teachers’ strike called to protest the non-payment of their salaries for refusing to enroll in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

He said the union would consult with its various structures across different universities in the country and get back to the speaker “early next week.”

Ogunyemi said it has become a public knowledge that the government could not respect the 2009 agreement it reached with the union.

He also said the IPPIS is against the standard practice across the world.

He recalled that when the government first notified ASUU of the IPPIS in 2013, the union rejected it.

The ASUU chief said “With our knowledge, we can give them an alternative that could cost them nothing against what they are spending now.

“We challenge them to tell us anywhere in the world where IPPIS is implemented in the universities. It will shut the door against foreign scholars, researchers and the rest.

“They said by attacking IPPIS, we are covering corruption. We cannot do that and we will not do that.

“We are saying that there are other ways of tackling corruption rather than IPPIS; we have to come up with a universities accountability system, and let’s join hands to implement it.”

READ ALSO: EFCC arrests 48 suspected cyber fraudsters in Ogun

On the request for suspension of the strike, Ogunyemi said it was not easy to convene the various structures of the union.

He added: “This is why ASUU is always reluctant to go on strike; the structures we are talking about are not in Abuja.

“People will have to come from different parts of the country, the best we can promise here is that you give us to early next week to consult and we will get back to you.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now