The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has once again voiced its frustration over the Federal Government’s prolonged inaction on the issues affecting Nigerian lecturers, stressing that only a genuine counteroffer to the 2009 agreement would be acceptable.
The National President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, stated that the union’s patience had been stretched to its limits, insisting that the government must move beyond “mere words” and present a workable solution.
This comes after the Minister of Education, Prof. Tunji Alausa, revealed that a technical committee, led by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Abel Enitan, was preparing a “clean proposal” to be presented to ASUU.
“We’ve decided on a counter-proposal to them. We have set up a high-level technical team to clean up our proposal and present a clean document,” Alausa told newsmen during a press briefing.
The 2009 agreement between ASUU and the Federal Government remains the benchmark for lecturers’ welfare, though the union has long pushed for a review in line with current realities.
Reacting to the government’s plan, Prof. Piwuna maintained that ASUU would only accept something tangible and actionable.
“I truly hope they will come up with something concrete. Our members are tired of words and no action,” he emphasized.
The stalemate raises concerns of another potential strike if the government fails to present a satisfactory offer in the coming days.
