The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is set to meet with the Federal Government on July 25, 2024, to address outstanding demands. Meanwhile, non-academic university staff have announced a one-day protest on Tuesday to highlight their grievances over withheld four-month salaries. This protest will precede a planned nationwide demonstration on July 18.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, confirmed the upcoming meeting, stating it aligns with the timeline agreed upon with the Federal Government. He emphasized that ongoing protests by ASUU chapters, which have included student participation, were instrumental in prompting the government to engage in dialogue.
In a letter to President Bola Tinubu, ASUU called for the full implementation of their 2009 Memorandum of Understanding with the government. The union’s demands include the release of withheld salaries, funding for public universities, and adherence to the Nimi Briggs Committee’s 2021 agreement on university revitalization and other critical issues.
Osodeke noted that the protests and negotiations have led to a timeline set by the government to address these promises. He stated, “We are meeting on July 25th to review the progress. The protests have pressured the government to engage with us, and we expect them to fulfill their commitments.”
Concurrently, non-academic staff unions, represented by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), have declared their intention to protest due to the government’s failure to pay their members’ withheld salaries.
The Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU issued a circular detailing the planned protests. They highlighted the lack of progress in their negotiations with government officials and expressed frustration over the unresolved grievances. The unions plan to hold branch-level protests on July 9, leading up to a national protest in Abuja on July 18.
The tension arises from the government’s selective payment of salaries after an eight-month strike in 2022, which only included academic staff, leaving out non-teaching staff. This decision has sparked renewed conflict between the non-academic unions and the government.
As these disputes unfold, both ASUU and the non-academic staff unions continue to press for the fulfillment of their demands, aiming to avoid another disruption in the university system.
