The Lagos Zonal Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Dr Adelaja Odukoya, said whether lecturers in the nation’s universities are going to embark on Industrial action or not over their demands from the government will be decided this weekend during a National Executive Council meeting of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, slated for the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Akoka, Lagos.
Disclosing this after a congress of the union, Dr Odukoya said the weekend meeting would collate responses of branches and zonal offices as to what the next line of action of the union should be to the demands it wants the government to meet.
The union also said it has been vindicated in its opposition to the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS, and explained that as the recent report by the Auditor General of the Federation indicted some officials for allegedly perpetrating fraud using the IPPIS, calling for their arrest.
Dr. Odukoya recalled that ASUU went on strike for nine months in 2020, called off the strike in December that year and the government promised to resolve all issues within six months, regretting that eighteen months after, nothing has been done.
He said to make Nigerian universities globally competitive, lecturers must be paid globally competitive wages and provide facilities that are of global standard.
The union also took a swipe at the manner state governments have taken the establishment of universities to be constituency projects without adequate funding and preparations, adding that the most worrisome aspect is that while Visitors to state universities have deliberately refused to fund existing universities, they keep on establishing new ones.
On the use of IPPIS, the union reiterated its call that it should be replaced with the University Transparency and Accountability System, UTAS, saying the latter would take into account the peculiar nature of the university system.
Odukoya wondered why Present Muhammadu Buhari would not meet the leadership of the union and hear firsthand information from them; but would rely on aides who he said had the mindset of tilting reports to suit their personal interests.