The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected the Federal Government’s directive enforcing the “no work, no pay” policy against striking lecturers, insisting that the union will not yield to intimidation or coercion.
ASUU President, Dr. Chris Piwuna, stated this on Monday during an appearance on Politics Today on Arise TV Television.
He affirmed that the union remains steadfast and united in its ongoing struggle, despite government efforts to divide the academic community through selective payment and threats.
“We don’t respond to threats, and nobody can threaten us,” Piwuna said.
Piwuna accused the government of deliberately engaging with other academic bodies such as the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) and the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) to create internal divisions among university staff.
“He is threatening us, writing to NAMDA and CONUA, telling them they can get their salaries. He wants to divide us, but we are united in this matter,” he stated.
He described such moves as “anti-labour” and counterproductive to the goal of achieving stability in the education sector.
According to him, ASUU continues to enjoy the solidarity of sister unions, including the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), and academic staff in polytechnics and colleges of education, all of whom share common concerns about the government’s handling of tertiary education.
“CONUA is with us, NAMDA is with us, SSANU is with us, NASU is with us. The polytechnics and colleges of education are also with us,” he said
Prof urges FG to resolve dispute
The ASUU leader also urged the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to focus on finding a lasting solution to the ongoing dispute instead of issuing ultimatums and threats, noting that dialogue remains the only effective path to restoring stability in the university system.
“He had better sit down and solve this problem or he will fail in trying to divide us,” Piwuna warned.
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