Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) Branch, on Tuesday, staged a peaceful protest, demanding the implementation of the renegotiated agreements and payment of outstanding salaries of lecturers by the Federal Government.
They warned that their patience had already waned, urging the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration to accede to their demands and stop impoverishing academic staff in the country.
Addressing reporters during the protest, the Chairman of ASUU-FUNAAB, Comrade Ola Oyedele, said the union was compelled to embark on the protest after the Federal Government allegedly failed to address longstanding issues despite several rounds of negotiations.
Oyedele asked Nigerians to hold the Federal Government responsible should ASUU members proceed on another industrial action in the public universities.
The union leader frowned at the government’s proposed Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF), saying lecturers do not need to be burdened with more loans but with improved wages.
He said, “ASUU has been a progressive union but today we are coming out to say the government must be responsible and fulfil their side of agreement. The last time we met with the Yayale Ahmed-led committee based on the collective bargaining principle, that the union and the Federal Government are to make things work. However, the union has not been respected and our demands have not been given pride of place.
“Today, we are coming out to demand the revitalisation of universities, our EAA (Earned Academic Allowances) mainstreaming and three and half months salaries that were withheld by government should be paid. Enough is enough! We cannot wait any longer. We want the government to respond to the ASUU call. Again, on the TISSF loan that the Federal Government is bringing out, we are not interested. You can’t give us loan and be impoverishing us. We cannot be receiving loan and be living in poverty. We want our salaries to be improved. We want better condition of service.
“Enough is enough! Stop impoverishing lecturers. Lecturers are going bankrupt. We cannot even take our cars to work. We are lecturing and doing research on empty stomachs which is not acceptable. We will not take this again from the Federal Government. We are giving the Federal Government a sound warning. If things are not done rightly, the Federal Government should be ready for a total showdown.”
Also speaking during the protest, the immediate past National Treasurer of ASUU, Comrade Olusiji Sowande, noted that the union members had not been on nationwide strike in the last two years not because their demands had been met by government.
He lamented that government had constituted different negotiating panels without taking any concrete action on the agitations by ASUU.
Sowande said, “The truth of the matter is that we have always been patient, waiting for government to do the needful. From the look of things, it’s as if government is just keeping us talking. The push to actually do the right thing is not really there.
“One of the most important aspects of our demands is the renegotiation of 2009 agreement. You’d recall that this issue of renegotiation started in 2017. Government started by constituting a panel that was headed by Dr Wale Babalakin, which was not also constituted until we have had a series of strikes. Since then, we will get to the point of concluding the negotiation, government will dissolve its team and we’ll start all over again.
“After Babalakin’s team, we have had Jubril’s team. After Jubril, we also had Nimi Briggs team. This is the fourth team negotiating with us on 2009 agreement. The current team has also ended discussion since December 2024. Our expectation is that government will come back to us and take necessary action. But in February, this year, we were told that they have not even submitted the draft agreement and since then, it has been dilly-dallying here and there.
“From the look of things, members’ patience has actually ran out. Most of the members now believe that the leadership has sold out, that’s why they are not even acting. But the truth of the matter is that we have been trying to suppress the anger of our members. We have been asking them to be patient. But from the look of things, this government is also proving that there is not going to be any change. We are not on strike not because government has satisfied all our demands, we are not on strike just because we are patient, hoping that government will do the needful.”
Many of the protesting lecturers carried placards bearing various inscriptions and trooped around the university campus chanting anti-government slogans.
