The Kano Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised concerns over the slow pace of negotiations with the Federal Government.
The union has also cautioned that the country may face another round of industrial action if pending issues are not urgently resolved.
The Zonal Coordinator, Dr Abdulkadir Muhammad, stated this on Monday in Kano during a press briefing on the outcome of the Union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held from Nov. 8 to Nov. 9 at Taraba State University.
He said ASUU was disappointed that weeks after suspending its two-week warning strike of Oct. 13, the government had not shown the level of commitment required to resolve long-standing issues affecting the university system.
Muhammad said the warning strike was suspended on Oct. 21 to provide room for meaningful engagement and in response to appeals from stakeholders including the National Assembly, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), parents, students and the wider public.
“Unfortunately, the hope for a holistic, amicable and timely resolution is being dashed,” he said.
Muhammad added that some government officials were “peddling false narratives” to create the impression that ASUU’s demands had been largely met.
The coordinator said although the government had cleared some promotion arrears dating back to 2017 and released parts of withheld third-party deductions, the payments had been significantly eroded by inflation and did not translate into improved welfare for academics.
Muhammad described the continued neglect of the education sector as alarming, noting that the trend was contributing to the massive brain drain in public universities.
He also criticised the proliferation of universities without adequate funding, warning that the practice was reducing the quality of tertiary education nationwide.
The zonal coordinator welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement of a seven-year moratorium on establishing new federal tertiary institutions and urged that the policy be extended to state governments.
“Many state governments establish universities as political projects without a sustainable funding plan.
“With ASUU’s one-month ultimatum to the Federal Government nearing expiration, we appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, parents, students to prevail on the government to address the outstanding issues and avert a fresh nationwide strike,” he said.
