The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to embark on indefinite strike over failure of the Federal Government to honour the 2009 aggrement reached with it.

Prof. Timothy Namo, the Bauchi Zonal Coordinator of the union said this during a news conference on Friday in Jos.

Namo said that the union after its National Executive Council (NEC) held between Aug. 17 and Aug. 18, issued a 21-day ultimatum.

“As we speak, government has not honoured any of the agreements or address our concerns.

“At the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum, we again issued another 14-day ultimatum that commenced from Sept. 23.

“So, we want Nigerians to blame the federal government if ASUU decide to down tools and shut down public universities,” he said.

Namo highlighted the lingering issues to include, non conclusion of the re-negotiation of the 2009 agreement, non release of the three-and-half month salaries of academic staff, unpaid salaries of all academic staff on adjunct appointment and outstanding third-party deductions.

Other lingering issues he said were, poor funding for the revitalisation of public universities, none payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) as captured in the 2023 budget, proliferation of universities, non implementation of the reports of visitation panels to universities, among others.

Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, on Thursday, announced free education for students of senior secondary in public schools in the state.

Soludo made the announcement in Awka while meeting with principals and head teachers in public primary and secondary schools.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on Sept. 21, 2023, the governor announced free and compulsory education from nursery to junior secondary in public schools in line with his solution-free education policy.

Against this backdrop, the governor while meeting with principals and head teachers in public schools stated that from next week, the free education policy would be available to students of senior secondary in public schools.

He said this would further increase children’s access to education and ensure the effective development of their personality, talents, mental and physical abilities.

“I want to assure you that even with the resource constraint; our administration will continue to work very hard to deliver on its mandate.

“I’m giving a directive that students in senior classes, who have already paid their N5,000 tuition fees for this term should be refunded,’’ he said.

He reiterated his administration’s dedication to human capital development and promised to continue making strides in this area.

Soludo also said that the government would commence payment of the N70, 000 minimum wage in October.

“We remain committed to investing in our people and this new minimum wage and free education initiative are testaments to our resolve.

“This move is expected to have a significant impact on the lives of workers and students in Anambra, improving their standard of living and access to quality education,’’ he said.

FCT Teachers Stage Sit-in, Demand 25 Months of Unpaid Wage Arrears

Teachers from the Local Education Authority (LEA) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have staged a sit-in protest at the secretariats of all six area councils, demanding the payment of 25 months’ worth of minimum wage arrears and other owed entitlements.

The protests took place at the secretariats in Abaji, Kwali, Gwagwalada, and Kuje, where large groups of teachers, including nursing mothers, gathered at the entrances, holding placards with messages such as “Pay us our balance of 60% minimum wage arrears,” “No to unfulfilled agreements,” “Give us our rights,” “Let LEA teachers breathe,” and “Our members are dying every day without their benefits.”

Frustration ran high among the teachers, who voiced their grievances over the continuous non-payment of their entitlements by the chairmen of the area councils. They expressed that despite their dedication to educating the children of the FCT, many LEA Primary School teachers have been left in dire financial situations.

One of the protesters, Zuwaira, shared her struggles, stating, “I have four children in school, and I can’t afford their fees since my husband has been retired for over three years. The chairmen treat us like second-class citizens despite our sacrifices in our roles.”

Another teacher, Michael Azuka, explained the need for the protest, accusing the council chairmen of ignoring their financial plight despite receiving substantial monthly allocations. “None of these chairmen have their kids in public schools in the FCT, so they seem indifferent to our welfare while they indulge in building mansions and purchasing luxury cars for their associates,” he said.

The Secretary of the FCT wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Margaret Jethro, confirmed that the union had organized the sit-in to demonstrate the teachers’ dissatisfaction with the unresolved issues. She noted that despite several meetings with the council chairmen, no tangible solutions had been presented.

“We met with the chairmen last Saturday, but there was no positive outcome. They only vaguely mentioned plans to pay without committing anything in writing,” she explained. Jethro also highlighted that similar promises were made during a January meeting attended by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, but no action followed.

A follow-up meeting between the NUT and the area council chairmen is scheduled for Thursday to discuss the matter further.

Teachers remain hopeful but firm in their demands, insisting that they will not relent until their long-overdue entitlements are paid in full.