The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the Federal Government to utilise the remaining 10 days of the one-month window granted to it to holistically resolve lingering issues between both parties.

This formed part of the resolutions reached at the National Executive Council meeting of ASUU held at Taraba State University, Jalingo, between November 8 and 9, and contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the union’s President, Prof. Chris Piwuna.

The union said the warning became necessary as some government officials were undermining the negotiation process through statements that misrepresented the government’s offers and the status of implementation of agreements reached.

ASUU had on October 22 suspended its two-week warning strike, granting the Federal Government a one-month window to meet its demands, expiring November 22.

Among the demands are the review of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned allowances, and disbursement of the university revitalisation fund.

The union warned that it would resume industrial action without prior notice if no concrete steps were taken within one month.

In Wednesday’s statement, ASUU charged the government to adopt holistic measures that would improve the living and working conditions of Nigerian academics.

It cautioned that the framing of the government’s actions and proposals so far reflected insincerity and did not portray a true picture of its demands.

The statement read partly, “ASUU NEC regretted that government functionaries are undermining the negotiation process by the subtle misrepresentation of its offers and implementation of agreements. The part payment of promotion arrears dating as far back as 2017, the release of third-party deductions, which are part of members’ unpaid benefits for years, are at best mere confidence-boosting exercises and must not be framed as the substantial issues of the negotiation process.

“The framing of government’s implementation is not the true reflection of reality, and this strategy signposts imminent danger to the renegotiation process because it casts doubt on the fidelity of its proposals.

“The remaining days to the expiry of the one-month window given to the government must be judiciously used to achieve a holistic resolution of the issues, particularly to uplift the living conditions of academics in Nigeria.”

While acknowledging that progress had been made in some non-monetary aspects of the negotiation, ASUU maintained that the salary and conditions of service components required a more radical approach.

The union also rejected the proposed salary offer, describing it as grossly inadequate.

“Members of NEC observed with consternation the government’s failure to prioritise education because it perceives education as a commercial good that must be self-sustaining, instead of a social good that guarantees the sustainable development of the nation,” the statement added.

“The meeting further reviewed the progress made in the renegotiation since the suspension of the warning strike about two weeks ago and rejected the proposed salary increment as a mere drop in the ocean that is not capable of reversing the brain drain syndrome, which has bedevilled university education in the country for decades.

“While noting that gaps are being closed in some non-monetary aspects of the agreement, the salary and conditions of service components remain a sore point that needs a radical approach to stem the tide in the system.”

ASUU also faulted the government’s claim of insufficient funds to meet its demands, arguing that the real issue was a lack of political will.

“Education as the bedrock of any society deserves special attention, more so in Nigeria, given the deficit in our educational infrastructure. That the lot of academics and education has remained unchanged in the positive direction in recent years remains a wonder,” the union stated.

“Contrary to the claim of paucity of funds and economic downturn, evidence shows that there has been a quantum leap in the revenue profile of both the Federal and State Governments.

“For example, in 2022, according to data from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee, states received a total of N3.92tn, while the figure for 2024 was N5.81tn, an increase of over 62 per cent. Similarly, the Federal Government received N3.42tn in 2022 and N4.65tn in 2024, representing an increase of over 70 per cent.

“It is the political will, or lack of it, and not economic factors, that has been undermining the resolution of this renegotiation process, as the revenue profile above clearly supports this claim.”

The union appealed to traditional rulers, opinion leaders, students, the Nigeria Labour Congress, and civil society groups to continue to pressure the government to meet its obligations and give lecturers a living wage. (The PUNCH)