Strike Action to Linger Till May – ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has disclosed in a statement that its strike action has been extended by two more months. The union revealed this decision at a prolonged meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC).

The NEC meeting was held at the union’s national secretariat at the University of Abuja. The meeting was said to have started on Sunda, 13th March and stretched to early Monday, 14th March.

During the meeting, ASUU accused the Nigerian government of insensitivity and peddling lies, stating that the Muhammadu Buhari-led country is not paying close attention to the union. “Yes, we have extended the strike by eight weeks pending when the Nigerian government would find the university system worthy of the desired attention,” A member of the NEC who preferred anonymity told newsmen.

The spokesperson also revealed that a secular is currently being drafted to that effect and will be available soon.

Investors King recalls that the union had, in February, warned the Nigerian government against misleading the public.

ASUU also denied the alleged failure of its proposed University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). ASUU President, Mr. Emmauel Osodeke, revealed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and Director-General, NITDA, Mr Isa Pantami, had earlier accused the union of failing both at the UTAS and at an ‘integrity test.’

Speaking to journalists, the president of the union revealed: “This press statement is necessitated by the need for ASUU to put the records straight on the grounds already covered in our patriotic struggle to get the government to deploy UTAS as a suitable solution for salary payment in our university system. Let us put it on record that an integrity test was carried out by NITDA on Aug. 10, 2021, in NUC where relevant government agencies and all the end-users in the University system were present. At the end of the exercise, all, without exception, expressed satisfaction with UTAS as a suitable solution for salary payment in our universities. This was attested to by the report coming from NITDA then to the effect that UTAS scored 85 per cent in User Acceptance Test (UAT).”

Emmanuel also disclosed that the NITDA Technical Team, had conducted a comprehensive functionality test that reported that out of 687 test cases, 529 cases were satisfactory, 156 cases queried and two cases cautioned.

The union’s worry is that while the process is still ongoing, the NITDA went ahead to claim that ASUU had failed the integrity test.

The update has sent a wave of many Nigerians who have taken to the social media platform, Twitter, to tweet their reaction.

Many have pointed out how the strike has affected them and how the country’s education should be placed in a state of emergency.

Here are a few reactions