The administration of President Bola Tinubu had given assurances that its ongoing dispute with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) would be settled within three weeks. That deadline, however, runs out next week, Chronicles Reporters has gathered.
Sources close to the negotiations confirmed that the union, though already considering industrial action, has temporarily held back in the hope that government would honour its word.
“The Nigerian government assured us that all issues raised by ASUU would be addressed within three weeks, and that timeframe will elapse next week,” a union source told Chronicles Reporters.
But checks by Chronicles Reporters revealed that, as of press time, there has been no visible effort by the government to engage with the lecturers.
“We are waiting for their response and the resolution they promised. Unfortunately, we have not seen any meaningful step so far,” another source noted.
Only on Wednesday, Chronicles Reporters reported that ASUU had warned Nigerians to prepare for another shutdown of universities if the government continued to drag its feet, insisting that responsibility for any looming crisis would rest squarely with the authorities.
The Benin Zone of ASUU had earlier in September sounded the alarm during a press briefing at Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Delta State.
Speaking on behalf of leaders in the zone, the Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Monday Igbafen, said Nigerian academics remain the most neglected group in the country despite their central role in shaping national development.
“We want Nigerians to understand that ASUU should not be blamed. Rather, it is the Federal Government that must be held responsible for the paralysis that may soon hit our universities,” Igbafen stated.
The Benin Zone of ASUU covers several institutions, including the University of Benin; Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma; Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; Delta State University, Abraka; Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun; University of Delta, Agbor; Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba; and Southern Delta University, Ozoro.
According to Igbafen, the union has been left with no choice but to consider shutting down the system again due to government’s lack of sincerity in honouring agreements.
“Since we suspended our last strike in October 2022, the Federal Government has failed to implement the review of our poor conditions of service,” he said.
He further noted that the government had refused to sign the renegotiated 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, which the union regards as a major step toward resolving the crisis.
Other grievances include unpaid promotion arrears, withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries along with third-party deductions, and the government’s continued neglect of proper funding for public universities.
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