Nigeria: Strike – OAU extends “mid-term break” by four weeks

A statement from the university’s registrar, Margaret Omosule, on Thursday noted that the extension was influenced by the current grounding in the activities of campus-based unions.

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OUA)Ile-Ife, Osun State, has extended the current two-week mid-semester break for another four weeks.

Following the extension, the university asked students not to resume on Monday April 11, as planned earlier but in the first week of May.

The university announced on March 26, 2022 a two-week break in the middle of the semester which started on March 28.

The institution’s spokesperson, Abiodun Olarewaju, would later confirm to PREMIUM TIMES that this was related to the ongoing strike by university unions.

Academic and non-academic workers in Nigerian universities are currently on strike across the country.

While the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has now lasted more than 50 days, the two-week warning strike by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU) is set to end this weekend, with no possible resolution of the dispute in sight.

Extension

A statement from the university’s registrar, Magaret Omosule, on Thursday noted that the extension was influenced by the current entrenchment of campus-based union activities.

The statement read in part: “With the full realization of the significance and impact of the industrial action launched by the various unions within the Nigerian university system, the management of the university has decided to extend the mid-term break semester of four (4) weeks.

“Students are therefore advised to continue the mid-semester break for four (4) weeks starting Monday, April 11, 2022.”

The demands of the unions

ASUU’s two main demands are the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) to replace the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) for the payment of personnel salaries in the system. academic and federal government renegotiation of 2009-ASUU. agreement on working conditions for Nigerian academics.

Others include the payment of earned academic allowances, the university revitalization fund and distortions in the payment of salaries, the funding of state universities, and the publication of white papers on visitor signs sent to universities.

Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU listed demands to include renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, payment of earned awards, usurpation of non-academic career positions by vice-chancellors, the school’s inclusion of academic staff in the university. community, non-payment of minimum wage arrears and funding of state universities.

SSANU National Vice President Abdussobur Salaam had told PREMIUM TIMES that the government had only paid less than N8 billion out of the agreed N30 billion.

“The memorandum of understanding that we had was that the renegotiation would be done within six weeks. And that goes back to February 2021. And if you count six weeks from then, we’ll be talking about May or maybe May. April. But now, a year later, we were not even invited to a single meeting despite our reminders.” he had said in an interview with PREMIUM TIME.

Qosim Suleiman is a journalist at Premium Times in partnership with report for the worldwhich pairs local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-reported issues around the world.