Nigerian universities may be in for another strike by lecturers as the National Executive Council of the Academic Staff Union of Universities is set to meet in Abuja today (Monday).
The meeting will be held at the union’s headquarters at the University of Abuja.
Leaders of the union, who spoke on Sunday, said the lecturers would decide whether or not to resume strike following the payment of half salary by the government.
The purpose of the emergency meeting is to discuss the payment of half-salaries to the lecturers.
Already, some branches across the country have held a congress to decide on the next steps to take.
The branch at the University of Jos, for instance, resolved that the lecturers stay home pending the payment of withheld salaries by the government; the branch at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University resolved that the 2021-2022 academic session be abolished, and the Gombe State University ASUU resolved that the examination results of students be seized.
A member of the NEC who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “Officially, the national body did not tell branches to hold congress, but many of them started calling meetings following the receipt of the amputated salary by the government. We don’t have to go on strike; there are lots of options available.”
Asked about the options available, the member said, “We can decide to stay at home, we can decide to seize results, or we can decide to cancel the session since the government won’t pay the withheld salary and we can’t work for months that we weren’t paid for.”
