ASUU threatens indefinite action after warning strike 

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has  threatened to go on an  indefinite strike if  the Federal Government  continues to insist   that   lecturers must enrol  for  the  Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.

The union also wants the FG to honour  its   agreements with them.

ASUU Coordinator, Lagos Zone, Prof. Olusiji Sowande,   said this   while addressing  reporters  at the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun,  Ogun State, on Tuesday.

He  said they might opt for  a complete strike after the two-week warning strike to press the FG to yield to their demands.

Sowande said   the warning strike was to call the attention of  the government to the outstanding issues in  the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, MoU/MoAs of 2013, 2017 and 2019.

The  union chief  called on Nigerians to show understanding and join forces with them in the struggle for  the  survival of  public universities.

He  condemned   the $140m loan allegedly obtained by the FG for the implementation of the  IPPIS.

Sowande  said, “Our union will not surrender to blackmail and intimidation from government and will not hesitate to embark on total, comprehensive and an indefinite industrial action to wrestle public universities from the clutches of prowling jackals in government.

“This is the time for the  masses to show understanding and join forces with us in this patriotic and lawful struggle for the continued existence and survival of public universities.

“However, the call for investigation of the massive fraud being perpetrated in IPPIS office has fallen on deaf ears and this call to question the sincerity of government in using  the IPPIS as an instrument of fighting corruption. Government’s  continued turning of a deaf ear and  turning of a blind eye to the corruption in the  IPPIS is to centralise corruption with the IPPIS and  the office of the AGF as  headquarters.

“In addition, taking a loan of $140m to procure software and train staff for the single purpose of implementing  the IPPIS is a massive fraud on the part of government, whereas  the same software was freely offered by our union on the platform of University Transparency and Accountability Solution that will be university-based, but which can be accessed by the government from their offices so they can monitor what is happening in the universities.”