By John Umeh
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has dismissed the Federal Government’s last-minute plea to suspend its planned warning strike, describing the intervention as “too little, too late.”
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, speaking on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, faulted the government for failing to respond promptly to 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,” Piwuna said.
He recalled that during a meeting in Sokoto, the government was given three weeks to address ASUU’s grievances but failed to act within the agreed period. “We never heard a word from them until the three weeks elapsed. Not even the courtesy to say, ‘Gentlemen, we are unable to meet with you,’” he added.
Piwuna revealed that the Federal Government only reached out two working days before the proposed strike, urging the union to reconsider. However, he maintained that the appeal would not stop the union from taking action unless urgent and substantial steps were taken to meet its demands.
“Our 2009 agreement — which has been under renegotiation for over eight years — remains unresolved. Two days to a strike, you come to appeal to us? The appeal has come too late,” he stressed.
The ASUU president confirmed that the union’s ultimatum to the government expires on Sunday, after which a two-week warning strike is set to begin on October 13 if no concrete offer is made.
“We expect something tangible in the next 48 hours. If not, we will consult our members, and the strike will proceed,” Piwuna warned.
Meanwhile, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed on Wednesday that the government was in the “final phase” of negotiations with ASUU and other academic unions in an effort to avert industrial action.
