Strike: We have no agreement yet with FG ― ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Wednesday
debunked the latest claim by the Federal Government to have reached
an agreement with the union over their lingering differences,
saying the claim is not true.

The President of ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, refuted the claim
in an exclusive conversation with TribuneOnline.^[1]

According to him, the negotiations between both parties in still
inconclusive as the team that represented ASUU at the meeting has
no final say concerning the decision making as a body on matters of
such magnitude.

He explained that what they had on ground now is a proposal from
the government which ASUU insisted must be written down showing her
plans of action unlike all along since the commencement of the
two-month-old strike that government always made verbal
proposals.

It will be recalled that their last meeting happened to be the
seventh time they held meetings over their differences without
tangible outcome from the previous meetings.

Speaking further, Prof Ogunyemi said, “it was just yesterday
(Tuesday) that government sent the proposal to us without waiting
for feedback before going to the public that we have reached an
agreement. ASUU does not operate in that manner.”

“The ASUU team that met the Federal Government,” he noted,
“would have to consult our principal over the proposal which we are
already doing.”

He disclosed that the said principal represents various organs
of ASUU who will in turn pass any resolution at that level on to
the National Executive Committee and then, final decision can be
made.

“So, ASUU cannot make pronouncement on a mere proposal. Until
our principal agrees, there is no agreement. And that is what we
have always emphasised to government that we are going to consult
our members and if after consultation, our members think the
proposal is good enough, we will get back to government and tell
them that now, we have taken a decision which becomes an agreement.
But so far on government proposal, we have not taken a decision.
And our strike is still ongoing,” he said.

But when asked if there were grey areas in the proposal that
would need consultation, he said ASUU might not bother about
further consultation on issues that are very clear.

Giving examples, he said: “If you say you are going to set up a
committee and you have set up that committee, that one is clear.
And if you say you are going to pay certain money for certain
purpose and you have paid, that will not also cause further
argument. But where we said you should release certain amount of
money in five tranches within certain period of time, and you are
saying well, you have paid N20 billion, or you have paid N2 billion
or N15. 4 billion, it means you haven’t started.

“So, that is the level we are now. And we don’t have a final say
on any proposal that is controversial. But for areas that are not
controversial as I had mentioned, we will only need to confirm
payment. If paid, fine. It then means that one is settled and we
now move to another one that is yet to be settled. And the one that
is not settled we will need to take feedback to our members and
that is the position we are at the moment.”