The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), yesterday, staged protests across the country, demanding government action on renegotiated agreements and withheld salaries. The protests could be indicative of another round of industrial action in public universities, as the lecturers believe the government is unwilling to meet their long-standing demands.

At the University of Ibadan (UI) and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education (EAUE) Oyo, ASUU insisted that only the signing of the agreements on August 28 could avert another strike. During the demonstration on UI campus, the placard-carrying protesters accused President Bola Tinubu of fulfilling his promises.

UI ASUU Chairman, Adefemi Afolabi, said the government had pushed lecturers to the wall. His words: “There has been inadequate progress in the negotiation between the Federal Government and the union in the past 16 years, and this has contributed to low morale and brain drain, while the best brains have decided to leave the profession due to the poor remuneration and conditions of service.”

His EAUE counterpart Michael Ojo added: “We can no longer allow the welfare of our members to be subjected to the delay tactics of the Bola Tinubu government.” The Oyo State NLC Chairman, Kayode Martins, asked Tinubu to intervene.

University of Lagos (UNILAG) ASUU Chairman, Idou Keinde, condemned the government’s non-implementation of the union’s demands for the last two and a half years. He said ASUU should not be blamed for the impending strike, noting that it is the government that has consistently pushed the union to go on strike. Protesting University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), lecturers expressed their readiness to down tools if the Federal Government failed to meet their demands.

Addressing them, Vice-Chancellor, Simon Ortuanya, represented by Romanus Ezeokonkwo (Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration), urged the union to take the option of a nationwide strike as the last resort after exploring all available avenues to resolve their issues with the government. At the Bayero University, Kano (BUK), ASUU ViceChairman Yusuf Madugu, said: “This is the first step among many that we are going to take to appeal to the government to do the needful.

The government must meet our demands.” University of Abuja (UniAbuja) lecturers defied heavy rain to stage a protest at the school’s main entrance, insisting on their demands being met. UniAbuja ASUU Chairman, Sylvanus Ugo, who said the government is owing lecturers three and a half months’ salaries, as well as one year arrears of the 25 per cent and 35 per cent wage awards, decried the non-payment of promotion arrears of members for over five years and failure to remit third-party deductions meant for cooperatives and unions.