Varsity Councils: ASUU Reacts To Suspension Of Inauguration, Warns Against Potential Chaos

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has cautioned that the suspension of the inauguration of governing councils of universities could trigger widespread disorder within the Nigeria’s academic community.

The union asserted that the delay undermines governance structures, potentially leading to administrative paralysis and academic setbacks.

It would be recalled that the Federal Ministry of Education had on Sunday announced the postponement of the inauguration and retreat for pro-chancellors, chairmen and members of Governing Councils of federal tertiary institutions, earlier scheduled for Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31, 2024.

But, addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the zonal coordinator of ASUU, Abuja zone, Dr. Salahu Mohammed Lawal, said the indecision of the government would prolong instability on campuses and will further plunge the universities into avoidable chaos.

“We, therefore, restate our demand for reinstating Governing Councils whose tenures are yet to elapse and reconstitute those whose tenures have elapsed so that our universities can run under their lows.

“ASUU shall do all within its powers to ensure that the dignity of the academia is fully restored in line with practices obtainable in forward-looking climes,” he stated.

This is just as the Union called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to reinstate the process of reviewing the renegotiated Nimi Briggs Committee’s agreement and have it signed and implemented within a short period.

It also demanded immediate release of arrears of Earned Academic Allowances and promotion arrears, third-party deductions, and Withheld Salaries and concrete implementation of total exit from IPPIS without further delay.

“The union feels betrayed that the Federal Government has not paid the arrears of the Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) especially since a portion of the allowances was captured in the 2023 Budget Nigerians.

“Another area of disagreement between ASUU and the FGN has been the refusal of the government to respect its laws and to honor agreements it reached freely with the union. The forceful enrollment of all federal universities onto the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System platform (IPPIS), which ASUU rejected, grossly violates university autonomy and usurps the powers of universities governing councils.

“We are surprised that over four months after the FGN realized the inadequacies of the platform and ordered the exit of tertiary institutions from it our members are now being curiously paid under the ‘New IPPIS’ platform,” he added.

The Union further called on the Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul Rasheed Na’Allah and his likes in other universities, to obey the law and the Acts governing the universities, while encouraging University of Abuja administration to stop grandstanding and expedite action in resolving the issues in contention with the union to ensure that students return to campus for normal academic activities.