Musa Na Allah Sokoto
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU), Usmanu Dandodiyo University Sokoto Chapter, has called on the Federal Government to urgently review all IMF/World Bank-sponsored economic policies which are regarding the quality of life of Nigerians.
The Union made the calls at a press conference held on Saturday at NUJ press center Zuru Road Sokoto.
The press conference according to ASSU is meant to draw the attention of the government to the serial insensitivity of the government in response to the agreements willingly reached with the Union.
ASSU expressed dismay with the lackadaisical attitudes towards the welfare of hardworking ASSU members in Nigerian Public Universities despite the good intentions of the academics in making national universities globally competitive.
The chairperson of ASSU while reading text at the press conference expressed dismay with the refusal by the federal government to implement the already concluded Nimi Briggs report on the renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement.
ASSU also faulted the federal government for not signing the report of the agreement reached with the Union submitted in 2022, after a series of negotiations under the legally approved method of collective bargaining and principles enshrined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention Act 98.
According to ASSU, the federal government made several promises to meet the demands of the Union and release withheld salaries of members whose only salaries of four out of seven and a half months were released.
“Government has no justification for withholding lecturers’ salaries, particularly for the work that had already been completed.”
The Union however observed with dismay the continued attack and erosion of the autonomy of public Universities as enshrined in the Universities Miscellaneous Act, through arbitrary and illegal dissolution of governing councils and more disturbing the practice of reducing the governing councils to a platform for compensating politicians.
“Federal government should restore with immediate effect, the dissolved councils especially those who have not served their terms of office”, while at the same time calling on Sokoto state government to as a matter of urgency implement the 25/35 percent salary increments of ASSU members as approved by the presidential committee on salaries and wages.
