The eight-month strike was called off without an agreement being reached with the federal government, according to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Emmanuel Osodeke, the president of ASUU, revealed this to the House of Representatives leadership on Monday during a meeting.
Recall that the National Industrial Court’s order requiring the union to enrol in classes again was upheld by the Appeal Court.
However, the House had mediated a few settlements between the union and the executive before the court’s decision.
Mr. Osodeke asserted during the meeting that when the lecturers called off the strike without a written agreement, they did so in good faith.
“The strike we called off, our members did it based on trust in us and the way the speaker has intervened—three meetings now—it was on that basis we were able to convince them.
“What we agreed on the issue of IPPIS and UTAS is a temporary measure. We were challenged to do it. We had to spend our money and our resources. In 2020, we were challenged to produce it, he said.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, responded to the statement made by the ASUU president by saying that ASUU is not required to ask for a written agreement given that the House is collaborating with the administration.
He mentioned President Muhammadu Buhari’s inclusion of N470 billion in the 2023 budget as well as the agreement to modify the IPPIS to take into account the unique needs of ASUU.
The House will organise an education summit to address the challenges the industry faces, Mr. Gbajabiamila also stated.
Also speaking, Okolieaboh Sylva, the acting Accountant General of the Federation, stated that the government is gathering information on the unique characteristics of ASUU in order to modify the IPPIS accordingly.
