The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the Federal Government to take advantage of the remaining days to the expiration of its one-month window to achieve holistic resolution of the body’s lingering issues.
Owerri Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Dennis Aribodor, who made the call on Thursday in a press conference, said the call has become necessary to avert further disruption in the schools’ academic calendar.
Aribodor accused government functionaries of undermining the negotiation process through subtle misrepresentation of offers and implementation of agreements just to score cheap political points.
He described part payment of promotion arrears dating as far back as 2017, release of third-party deductions, which were part of members’ salaries for years, as mere confidence measures, insisting they must not be construed as the substantial issues of the negotiation process.
According to him, framing of government’s implementation is not the true reflection of reality, and this strategy portends great danger to the renegotiation as it casts doubt on the sincerity of government.
He said, “Government’s objective must not be to win the narrative but to solve the real problems. That’s the way forward.
“Government is hereby advised to utilize the remaining days to the expiration of the one-month window given to achieve a holistic resolution of the issues, particularly to uplift the take-home pay of academics in Nigeria.
“The surest way to protect the future of our country is to invest adequately in education. Education is a public good. Education, as the bedrock of any society, deserves special attention in Nigeria, given the deficit in our education infrastructure.
“Contrary to the claim of paucity of funds and economic downturn, evidence shows that there have been quantum leaps in the revenue profile of both the federal and state governments.
“For example, in 2022, according to data from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), the states received a total of 3.92 trillion Naira, while the figure for 2024 was 5.81 trillion Naira.
“This is an increase of over 62 per cent. Similarly, the Federal Government received 3.42 trillion in 2022 and 4.65 trillion in 2024, representing an increase of over 70 per cent.
“It is the political will or lack of it, and not economic factors, that has been undermining the resolution of this renegotiation process, as the revenue profile above clearly supports this claim.
“Nigeria Government should not be comfortable with lecturers being on the same salary for 16 years with all the devaluations and inflation.
“ASUU Owerri Zone is therefore calling on all stakeholders including traditional rulers, religious leaders, students, the NLC, media, and civil society to urge government to do the right things and give lecturers a living wage within the remaining days of the one-month window period.
“ASUU Owerri Zone also expects 100% payment of all outstanding arrears, including 25-35% wage award, three and a half months withheld salaries, promotion arrears, and third-party deductions.
“These are our minimum demands to avoid the resumption of the suspended strike so as to ensure industrial harmony in our universities.”