Half Salary: ASUU To Take Final Decision Today, Members Advocate Another Round Of Strike Action

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is set to meet today, 7th November at the union’s headquarters at the University of Abuja to decide the fate of Nigerian students in public universities.

Naija News reports that the ASUU emergency NEC meeting is to discuss the way forward, as the union will reveal its stand over the issue of half salary paid to members by the federal government.

According to some ASUU leaders, members are advocating for another round of strike if payments for their salary backlog is not made.

The academic union leaders told Punch that as the case is now, the decision lies with lecturers whether or not to resume because some ASUU branches across the nation have held congresses to decide on the next steps to take.

In the midst of all the agitations, a member of the ASUU NEC who pleaded anonymity confided in the Punch that “Officially, the national body did not tell branches to hold congress, but many of them started calling meetings following the receipt of the amputated salary by the government. We don’t have to go on strike; there are lots of options available.

“We can decide to stay at home, we can decide to seize results, or we can decide to cancel the session since the government won’t pay the withheld salary and we can’t work for months that we weren’t paid for,” the source said.

Meanwhile, as members await the decision of the union’s leadership today, some branches like the University of Jos (UNIJOS), have already given a sit-at-home order to its members, while the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University is advocating for the cancellation of 2021-2022 academic session, and their colleagues in the Gombe State University resolved that the examination results of students be seized.

The ASUU chairman, of the University of Jos, Dr Lazarus Maigoro, in an interview with PUNCH said, “For us in the University of Jos, we are not going to the classroom to teach the students but will remain at home.

“That is not to say we are on strike yet. It is only the national body of ASUU that can declare whether members should embark on a fresh strike or not.

“We will let you know when the union will meet and take a decision on the matter.”

However, Naija News learnt that the branch chairman of the ASUU at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Dr Christian Opata, who fears there is an opportunity for another strike said it awaits the leadership of the union to decide today.

Opata pointed out that “The issue is that there are opportunities for another strike. Well for us, I don’t see any opportunity for another strike. However, I cannot decide that because the zone has not met but the national leadership will be meeting tomorrow, so by tomorrow the national body will be in a position to come out with a decision, and since it is a national matter, all branches are going to abide by whatever decision is taken there.

“I am not a mind reader, I don’t know what the government wants or what all other branches of ASUU might want to do. However, my take is that the intervention from the House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, didn’t yield the expected result. “

For the University of Maiduguri (UniMaid), which refused to disclose its stand, any decision made at the NEC meeting is fine by them.

The UniMaid ASUU chairman Dr Abubakar Saidu, said “I will not disclose those grievances and views to the press.

“You can see that we resumed lectures and we will start exams on Monday (November 7), so the issue of the resumption of the strike or not after our NEC reaches a final decision will be solely dependent on the government, the students, and their parents.”

Similarly, the ASUU chairman at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Dr Dele Ashiru, in the southwest zone was waiting for the NEC to meet to decide if it would embark on strike or not.

“Our meeting had no outcome. No resolutions. It is only when the NEC meets that they will take a resolution,” Ashiru added.

However, the ASUU chairman of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, chapter, Dr Adeola Egbedokun, disclosed that the branch has decided to embark on another round of strike action and their decision will be communicated to the national body today after the NEC meeting.

Egbedokun noted that “You would hear from ASUU immediately after the Monday NEC meeting.”

On his own part, the chairman of the ASUU at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso (LAUTECH), Dr Biodun Olaniran “That will be determined at the NEC meeting. The NEC of the union will determine how to react to it.”