ASUU reveals condition for schools’ resumption

According to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abuja zone, there will be no resumption of classes at public universities until the renegotiated 2009 agreement is signed, implemented, and the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) is deployed.

Dr Salawu Muhammed Lawal, the ASUU Zonal Coordinator, said this at a news conference on Monday at the University of Abuja in Gwagwalada.

Members, he claims, are always ready to return to their duties as soon as the Federal Government meets their requests.

The zone includes the Federal University of Lafia, the Federal University of Technology Minna, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, and the University of Abuja, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“You would recall that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) declared a four-week rolling strike at the University of Lagos National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Feb. 14.

“Owing to the failure of the Federal Government to act within that period, the national action was rolled over for another eight weeks following the resolution taken at an emergency NEC meeting at the Festus Iyayi National Secretariat on March 14.

“The action as you are probably aware is to among other things, compel the Federal Government to sign and implement the draft renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement submitted to it by the Prof. Munzali Committee in May 2021.

“Deploy for use in the Nigerian university system, was the home-grown payment and personnel solution called UTAS developed by ASUU as a replacement for the failed IPPIS.

“As usual, the Federal Government has ignored ASUU’s call for full implementation of that famous agreement and other memoranda signed with the union.

“No meeting has been held between the two parties since the commencement of the ongoing strike. The only exception is our union’s re-submission of UTAS for a retest.

“The summary is that unless and until the renegotiated 2009 agreement is signed and implemented and UTAS deployed, there will be no work in public universities,” he said.