The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Emmanuel Alayande University of Education (EAUE) chapter, Tuesday, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be proactive in order to avert looming ASUU strike.

Speaking with journalists after leading members of the congress on street protest, ASUU chairman of UAUE, Dr Micheal Bamidele Ojo, said towards doing this, President Tinubu should rescue the Nigerian university system which is presently bleeding to death.

Dr Ojo said there is the need for the federal government to look into the pitiable situations in the Nigeria public university education and the pathetic conditions of services which put lecturers in precarious states.

The ASUU chairman stated that one of the ways to address the bleeding was for the president to rise up and sign renegotiated agreements with the union, saying, “Salary awards are no substitutes for a negotiated agreement. 

“Each negotiated agreement between the federal government of Nigeria and ASUU is a comprehensive package that captures not just salary component but also a gamut of requirements for bench-marking a competitive university system designed for addressing the developmental challenges of Nigeria,” he said.

Dr Ojo added: “ASUU’s demand for negotiated salary and other conditions of service is anchored on the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) convention No. 98 which underscores the principle of “collective bargain. The last FGN/ASUU agreement was in 2009.

“The union called on President Tinubu-led administration to immediately set in motion the process that will lead to the review and signing of the Nimi Briggs-led renegotiated draft agreement as a mark of goodwill and assured hope for Nigeria’s public universities.”

Speaking further, Dr Ojo accused the federal government of unwillingness to decisively address the outstanding issues with the union.   

Alerting  the public on notice of a possible strike in the next two weeks, the ASUU chairman said the union has been sensitising the Nigerian people in the past two months so  they will not be surprised if it resorted to strike as the last resort.

Dr Ojo then called on “well-meaning and discerning minds, opinion leaders, traditional and religious leaders, media, labour movements, student groups and civil society organisations to prevail on the Nigerian government, at both federal and state levels, to attend to the above stated outstanding issues and meet with our union leadership to avert an unnecessary and avoidable industrial crisis in our already frail and weak university system.”