Again, ASUU Extends Strike

Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, may have again extended its strike on Monday, the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports.

The decision to again extend the strike for the fourth time was taken after the union’s National Executive Council met at its headquarters at the University of Abuja.

The union embarked on the strike on February 14 demanding for a renegotiation of agreements reached between it and the government in 2009.

It is also demanding that government should shelve the payment of members’ salaries using its Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, through which it pays its employees.

ASUU is asking government to instead adopt the union’s payment platform option, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, told newsmen that government had taken all possible steps to end the strike.

“Government has already inaugurated a committee to harmonise the IPPIS, UTAS, and UP3, a salary payment platform introduced by another union within the university system.

“This will ensure that the government will pay with only one payment platform that will harmonise all the technical peculiarities.

“If you bring some demands and almost 80 per cent have been attended to, there is no need to drag the strike anymore.

“It is unreasonable for the strike to be lingering seeing that government has worked toward meeting most of the demands,’’ Goong said.