The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has directed its members in Federal Unity Colleges and other affected institutions to continue their nationwide strike, rejecting claims that the industrial action had been suspended.
The directive followed an emergency virtual meeting of the union’s zonal coordinators in the Federal Unity Colleges with officials of the Federal Ministry of Education on Thursday.
In a communiqué issued on Saturday, the union said the strike remained in force across the 115 Federal Unity Colleges, the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service (FEQAS) and the Science Equipment Centre.
ASCSN said the decision to sustain the action was based on what it described as the failure of the Ministry of Education to honour commitments reached during an earlier meeting with the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
According to the union, Alausa had agreed to establish a broad-based committee comprising relevant stakeholders to address the issues surrounding the planned concession of King’s College, Lagos. It also said the minister had undertaken to release documents relating to the proposed concession.
ASCSN, however, alleged that neither commitment had been fulfilled.
The union further took exception to a statement by the minister’s media aide announcing the suspension of the strike, arguing that the decision was made without the authorisation of the union’s recognised leadership.
“The attempt by the minister’s media aide to unilaterally declare the suspension of the strike is null, void and of no consequence, as only the recognised leadership of the union has the authority to issue directives to members,” the communiqué said.
The association maintained that its members had complied with the industrial action on a nationwide basis, describing the level of participation as “overwhelming and near-total.”
It commended its members for what it described as their unity and determination throughout the dispute, while urging the national leadership to remain firm in defending workers’ rights and due process.
The dispute also took a more confrontational turn at King’s College, Lagos, where ASCSN condemned the deployment of armed police officers during the disagreement over the proposed concession of the institution.
The union alleged that the officers forced open the school gates, harassed peaceful protesters and arrested a minor.
ASCSN described the alleged police intervention as “a dangerous escalation” and “an unacceptable abuse of state power.”
The zonal coordinators also expressed what they described as a loss of confidence in the minister’s handling of the dispute. They accused the minister of engaging with individuals whom the union said were not authorised to represent ASCSN.
The association insisted that any decision concerning the suspension or continuation of the strike must come from its recognised leadership, rather than from officials or representatives acting outside the union’s established structure.
With the dispute unresolved, ASCSN said there would be no return to work until its concerns over the proposed concession of King’s College and the outstanding commitments by the ministry were addressed.
“We hereby order our members nationwide to continue with the ‘No Reversal of King’s College Lagos Concessioning, No Resumption.
“The ongoing strike continues,” the union declared.