See the List of the 10 Unresolved Demands ASUU Urges FG to Address
ASUU Urges FG to Address 10 Unresolved Demands
By Grace Edema and Oluwasayo Alabi
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has sent a letter to President Bola Tinubu, highlighting ten unresolved demands from the 2020 Memorandum of Action.
Dated June 20, 2024, the letter explains that Nigerian academics were forced to embark on a nationwide strike on February 14, 2022, after repeated attempts to resolve the issues with the government failed. This strike continued until October 2022.
The letter, signed by ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, stated, “The government’s refusal to implement the December 2020 Memorandum of Action provoked the 2022 strike across Nigerian public universities. Sadly, several issues in the 2020 MOA remain unresolved.”
Osodeke outlined the ten unresolved issues, including:
1. **Conclusion of the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU Agreement** based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s 2021 draft Agreement.
2. **Release of withheld salaries** for three and a half months due to the 2022 strike.
3. **Release of unpaid salaries** for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments affected by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
4. **Release of outstanding third-party deductions** such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions.
5. **Funding for revitalization of public universities**, partly included in the 2023 Federal Government Budget.
6. **Earned Academic Allowances**, partly included in the 2023 Federal Government Budget.
7. **Proliferation of universities** by Federal and State Governments.
8. **Implementation of the reports** of visitation panels to universities.
9. **Illegal dissolution of Governing Councils**.
10. **University Transparency and Accountability Solutions** (UTAS) as a replacement for IPPIS.
Osodeke requested that President Tinubu initiate measures to bring ASUU and major stakeholders, including relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, together to address these ongoing issues. He emphasized that resolving these matters could prevent another industrial action and ensure smooth academic calendars in universities, aligning with the President’s promise at the start of his administration.
