By: Adebanjo Zainab Adejoke
According to the union’s national chairman, Prof. Piwuna, the union has lost confidence in the government’s promises, accusing it of treating negotiations like a game rather than genuine dialogue. “We have never trusted any government. Governments have never come true with what they promised us. The government sees our engagement like a football they need to dribble. In football, you touch the ball, you hit it this way, you go, you come back,” he said. He noted that the government has consistently handled its engagement with the union in the same manner, furthering that while ASUU wants to trust the government, it must first show genuine commitment to earn that trust.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) has faulted the Federal Government’s last-minute appeal for the union to suspend its proposed warning strike, saying the intervention came “a little too late.” ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, stated this in the early hours of Thursday while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, accusing the government of failing to act promptly on the union’s long-standing demands. “The problem we have with this government and this Ministry of Education is that they are slow in responding to our demands,” Prof.Piwuna said. He recalled that the union had given the government three weeks to address its grievances after a previous meeting in Sokoto, but received no communication during that period. “They gave us three weeks, we accepted the three weeks, but we never heard a word from them until the three weeks elapsed, not a word from them, courtesy to even say, ‘Oh gentlemen, we think we are running short, three weeks is around the corner, we are unable to meet with you on so-and-so date.’ Nothing, until we threatened a strike action.
ASUU had on September 28 given the Federal Government a 14 days ultimatum to meet its demands or face a two week warning strike, which could lead to indefinite shutdown of public universities. Two days ago, the Minister of Education, Dr. Ọlatunji Alausa, stated that the Federal Government was in the final phase discussions with ASUU and other university based unions to settle outstanding issues. Mr. Alausa explained that the talks were focused on addressing concerns over staff welfare, funding for public universities, and the full implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, a document that has remained at the heart of the recurring disputes between the government and the academic union. ASUU president said that the government only reached out two working days before the proposed strike, appealing for it to be suspended. “Yesterday, they appealed to us not to embark on a strike action. Our 2009 agreement which is still being renegotiated after eight years remains undone. We have not concluded on it, and two working days before a strike action, you came to appeal to us. I think the appeal has come a little too late,” the ASUU President asserted.
Meanwhile, Prof.Piwuna insisted that the union would proceed with its planned industrial action at the expiration of its ultimatum on Sunday unless the government takes urgent steps to address its demands. He said, “Their ultimatum expires on Sunday, and after that, there will be a warning strike unless something substantial comes out from the government. So, in the next 48 hours, we expect to receive something substantial from the government. “Then, we can go back to our members and ask, ‘Do you think this is sufficient for us to hold on?’ and we will do what our members ask us to do.” ASUU had directed its branches to prepare for a two-week warning strike expected to begin on October 13.
