ASUU strike update today: Academic Staff Union of Universities tok wetin dia next move go be

President of di Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke don tok say strike na di only option wey di union get to move forward.

Im tell BBC Pidgin say dis na sake of di way goment dey ignore dem too much to di extent wey be say even members of di union don dey accuse am say im dey goment side.

Prof Osodeke tell students to epp dem beg goment to do di right tin if dem no want strike.

"Make students beg goment to do di needful den strike no go dey, ASUU no dey initiate strike na goment dey initiate strike" e tok

"We reach an understanding for January and now we dey December, and dem promise us say within one month dem go resolve all di issues. Eleven months don pass and dem neva resolve di issues," e add.

"As a normal human being and association, wetin you want make we do? You want make we abandon di issues?

"Inside August dem promise us say dem go finish all dis tins, we accept am as a union sake of di interest of di students and parents dem. Dem tell us again say dem go finish by di ending of October, we accept and we wait again, October nothing, for November di intervention of Chief of Staff and Speaker, House of Representatives, di intervention by di Minister of Labour and yet nothing, so we don exhaust all di possible tins any union fit do," e hala.

According to Prof. Osodeke, di main issues dem wey bin make dem go strike, goment never address dem.

"Afta di last three weeks notice wey end for November, we still give dem small time make we consult wit our members and nothing still dey happen except for small money wey dem say dem release for need assessment and EAA, according to dem, dem call am hanging fruits wetin dem fit easily do, we dey ask dem, what about di agreement wey we negotiate and reach a draft in May, what about di issue of UTAS wey dem say make we give dem since January dem go implement am? we dey December, what about di issue of inconsistency of payment by IPPIS, wetin goment don do?"

"We don exhaust everi means, make Nigerians tell us oda ways, becos na strike na di only tin goment dey listen to." E tok.

Dis latest development dey come afta di union bin give goment notice for November to resolve di issues but dem say notin change till now.

Meanwhile tok-tok pesin for di Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment Dr Charles Akpan say ASUU no need to go on strike sake of say goment don release about 52.5 billion Naira for di revitalization of Infrastructures and earned allowances of lecturers.

"Goment don already finish preparation and di money don already enta ASUU account since Saturday, wetin remain na to do di distribution, and from today dat one fit start." E tok.

"Concerning di UTAS and IPPIS, goment still dey work on dem, di major one na di Revitalization and Earned allowances and goment don pay di money for dia account."

Wetin be di issues?

Di union bin go strike for March 2020 to put pressure on goment to meet dia 2009 agreement.

Di major issues bin centre around universities dia revitalization moni, earned allowance, Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) payment platform and payment of witheld salaries.

For the meeting wey lead to dem calling off di strike for 24, December, 2020, goment bin negotiate to pay dem 40 billion Naira earned allowance and 30 billion Naira revitalisation moni.

Goment also agree to do integrity test for dia own payment system wey dem want wey be UTAS.

See some of di unresolved issues:

- No capital project for universities except di ones wey TETFund dey sponsor. Dem say dis one dey somehow for a kontri wey get gomment.

- Dem say gomment no dey willing to fulfil di 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement wey state say make dem provide moni wey dem go take repair schools across di kontri .

- Hostels, class rooms, laboratories and better offices for lecturers dem dey among di tins wey dem wan take moni do but e no dey possible sake of gomment sti;ll dey owe dem.

- Anoda mata wey dey unresolved na payment Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).

- Dem no get governing council. make dem set up visitation panels wey go monitor how dem dey spend di moni and how dem dey manage di schools.

- ASUU also tok say goment take style introduce make dem enrol university teachers for di Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) so dat e go cover dia insincerity.

- ASUU say gomment still dey owe dem plenty billions of naira. Dem say na dis moni dem suppose take pay salary arrears of members