Victoria Mbangwa
With tensions rising once again between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Ministry of Education has said it is working hard to prevent yet another strike from disrupting the academic calendar in Nigeria’s public universities.
In an interview, with the Director of Press for the ministry, Folasade Biriowo on Sunday in Abuja, she assured the public that measures are being taken to avoid a strike.
She said. “I can assure you that everything is being done to prevent the strike from happening. The minister has teams working already so I can give you that assurance,”
Recall that ASUU had issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, warning that failure to resolve long-standing issues could trigger another round of strikes. The union’s demands center around the completion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, based on recommendations from the Nimi Briggs Committee’s 2021 Draft Agreement. Other concerns include the release of salaries withheld during ASUU’s 2022 strike, as well as payment of unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct roles affected by the government’s payroll system, IPPIS.
