The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Bayero University Kano (BUK) Branch, on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest, calling on the Federal Government (FG) to implement its renegotiated agreements and pay withheld salaries.
The Vice-Chairman of ASUU-BUK, Comrade Yusuf Madugu, told newsmen in Kano that the action became necessary following the government’s alleged failure to address the union’s demands.
He recalled that ASUU had renegotiated the 2009 agreement with successive government committees led by Prof. Munzali Jibrin, Prof. Nimi Briggs, and most recently under Malam Yayale Ahmed.
“The negotiation was concluded in December 2024, but up till now the government has not acted on it.
“This is the first step among many we are going to take to appeal to the government to do the needful. Government must meet our demands,” Madugu said.
He listed the union’s demands to include the signing and implementation of the renegotiated agreement, payment of three and a half months’ withheld salaries after the 2022 strike, and proper funding of universities through revitalisation funds.
“Our demands also cover salary increment, welfare, allowances, and university autonomy. Universities need to be independent.
“After we ended the strike in 2022, we returned to the classrooms, conducted lectures, and held examinations. Out of the seven and a half months’ withheld salaries, only four months were paid. Three and a half months remain outstanding,” he said.
Madugu noted that since the Goodluck Jonathan administration approved the N200 billion revitalisation fund to be disbursed in six tranches, only one tranche had been released.
“These revitalisation funds are essential for funding universities. We need reagents in our laboratories, books in our libraries, adequate classrooms, and a conducive atmosphere for students to learn,” he added.
The vice-chairman warned that the government should be held responsible for any consequences if the demands are not met, stressing that ASUU would decide its next line of action after a national emergency congress.
Similarly, the President of the BUK Students Union Government, Abdullahi Usman-Baba, appealed to the FG to engage ASUU in dialogue in the interest of students.
“When there is a strike, it is the students that suffer most because our academic calendar is disrupted.
“We humbly plead with the government to sit with ASUU and listen to their demands,” he said.
NAN
