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CONUA, breakaway ASUU faction, gives reasons for prolonged strike, offers solutions

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CONUA, breakaway ASUU faction, gives reasons for prolonged strike, offers solutions

The Academic Staff Union of Institutions’ breakaway branch, the Congress of Nigerian University Academics, has announced what the new lecturers’ union will do differently to resolve the impasse plaguing Nigerian universities, particularly with regards to recurrent strike activities.

Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, the national coordinator of CONUA, on Tuesday, emphasized the need for democratization in the academic environment, saying that this was what academics should be pursuing and that they must approach problems from all angles.

He made this pledge during an interview on Arise TV ‘News Night’

Sunmonu stated that there shouldn’t be a “just this way or the highway” mentality when it comes to solving problems.

The unionist further noted that the use of strike action to press home demands in the country had been on for well over 40 years, without concrete solutions.

“In that period of 40 years, we’ve had different kinds of governments, the military dictators, the democracy that we all enjoy; we’ve had one response and that response is put pen to paper on agreement and renege on the agreement later.

Read also: ‘Shun divide and rule’, Shehu Sani advices university lecturers in aftermath of CONUA registration

“We are of the opinion that these agreements, to us, are actually done under duress; where you have the situation in which the other party which is the government that you’re actually discussing with, comes to a meeting with a relaxed mind that once they have an agreement that is workable; when they put pen to paper to sign, they would honour that.”

Sunmonu also noted that even in situations of outright wars, “issues are resolved at the table; why can’t we devote more time to that so as to avoid casualties? In this case, casualties are parents and students.

“We want to deploy all our faculties, all our networks to the area of discussions at the table that will lead to a win-win situation; discussions that will lead to an agreement that the other side will not feel it’s being compelled to put pen to paper,” he said.

The National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) and CONUA were among the two unions that the Federal Government registered in the university system on Tuesday in an effort to lessen the power of ASUU.

The two unions will coexist with ASUU, according to Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Productivity, who spoke as he handed the certificates of registration to the two organizations.

ASUU has been on strike since February 14, 2022 due to issues with the Federal Government over improved welfare conditions for its members, adequate funding for universities, and the replacement of the government-introduced payment platform- Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, with the University Transparency and Accountability Solution.

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