Osun: ASUU decries FG’s failure to implement demands

By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo

The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has decried the Federal Government’s failure to implement their demands.

The Union expressed disappointment despite President Tinubu’s promises to end strikes in the education sector.

Members of the Union staged protest on Tuesday on the campus were seen carrying different placards “IPPIS is a scam,” “Pay all our Outstanding promotion arrears,” “FG give our children proper education”, “enough is enough: gobern us, not oppress us,” among others.

Speaking at the protest the Chairman of the Branch, Prof Anthony Odiwe, noted that the Federal Government is yet to address issues that had always forced its members to embark on strike.

Odiwe emphasised on the need for the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency address the pending issues, stressing that failure to sign and implement the issue will lead to industrial action.

He said, “It is extremely important to state that all the issues that had always forced our members to embark on strike are still unattended up till now.

“Please permit me to mention those issues- Release of the unpaid salaries of staff on sabbatical, adjunct, etc. due to IPPIS, payment of promotion arrears, payment of EAA, proliferation of public universities, implementation of the Reports of the Visitation Panels, illegal dissolution of Governing Councils in Federal and State Universities, implementation of University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) in place of IPPIS and release of third-party deductions.”

The Union stressed that in the last one year of the present administration there is no official meeting with President Tinubu.

He stated that, “The Union was very open and hopeful at the beginning that the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be favourably disposed in addressing the issues, especially with the posture and utterances of Mr. President that strike will be a thing of the past in our system.

“Unfortunately, the same government has refused to relate with us officially in the last one year in power. In view of this, the Union has decided to take this matter to the public space once again so that Nigerians will be properly informed and will not blame us but the government because of their insensitivity and non-responsiveness to the issues of university education in the country.”