The union made the request on Friday at a news conference
held at Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu.
The Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Calabar Zone, Mrs Happiness
Uduk, said that the only way to avert the imminent nationwide strike was for
the state and Federal Governments to meet the union’s demands.
Uduk said that the body had given a two-week ultimatum for
its demands to be met, warning that failure to do so would result in an
industrial action.
She regretted that the FG had yet to fulfil its commitments
under the FG-ASUU agreement in 2009, leading to stagnation in salary scales and
overall welfare improvements.
She said, “The government had an agreement with ASUU in
2009, which tells us that for 15 years running, ASUU members have been on the
same salary scale; nothing has changed.
“We are requesting that government should complete
negotiations. It started with us more than 13 years ago, first with the
Babalakin-led team, then the Munzali-led team, and finally the Briggs-led team.
“These people had completed the negotiations, and if the
negotiations had been completed and Mr President had the document, we don’t
know why, for a year now, he has not called us to talk to us about it.
“So, government should, as a matter of urgency, address our
renegotiation and take into account current realities, including inflation
rate, exchange rate, and whatever needs to go into that,” Uduk said.
She called on the federal and state governments to address
issues bordering on revitalisation fund for public universities, payment of
earned academic allowances and withheld salaries, high taxation, and
victimisation of ASUU members.
She also said that ASUU strongly insisted on the removal of
its members from federal universities from the Integrated Personnel Payroll
System (IPPIS).
Uduk further said that the high rate of taxation experienced
by ASUU members was a result of “the introduction of an obnoxious platform” for
salary payment.
“Whatever government has in mind with regards to that, it
should use our University Transparency and Accountability Solution or any other
platform that would originate from universities rather than the IPPIS,” she
said.
She advised that the FG’s student loan scheme be replaced
with grants, which, she said, would alleviate financial stress on students and
improve their academic pursuit.
Uduk called on the FG to stop the proliferation of
universities and focus on better funding for the existing ones to improve
overall standards within the existing institutions.
She also advocated for the quick resolution of the minimum
wage debacle and introduction of a living wage that was obtained in saner
climes.
In Abia, the ASUU zonal coordinator called on the Abia
government to pay the 11-month salary arrears owed to lecturers in ABSU.
“We are not negotiating any part of that salary for anything
because we have worked, taught students, and examined them, and some of them
have graduated,” Uduk said.
She urged the Abia Government to discontinue the use of
Treasury Single Account in the payment of ABSU lecturers’ salaries and address
the recent inconsistency in the payment of salaries.
According to her, the government is owing April, May, and
June.
“Let the Abia Government leave payment in the hands of the
university administrators and a platform that is consistent with the
institution’s operations.
“But it can do its oversight as far as ABSU is concerned,”
she said.
Uduk said that some ASUU members at Ebonyi State University
had been suspended for more than two years without salary.
“We call on the Ebonyi governor to look into the
peculiarities of the problems in the state university and ensure that our
members are reinstated forthwith,” she said.
Uduk said that the ongoing interface with stakeholders was
to encourage Nigerians to appeal to the government to do the needful;
“otherwise, in two weeks time, ASUU will go on strike.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the union had
earlier held an interactive session with critical stakeholders, parents,
children, and traditional rulers. NAN