Timeline: 100 days of ASUU strike monitored by Pulse

ASUU started a one month warning strike on February 14, 2022, to demand that the Federal government fulfils the 2009 agreement.

The agreement signed by the FG with the union requires that the government commit N200 billion annually for five years to the revitalisation of the sector. To meet this segment of the ASUU demand, the Federal Government must cough out N1 trillion.

The union also said the government refused to include earned academic allowances in the 2022 budget as promised.

Chris Ngige, minister of labour, said the federal government does not have the funds to meet some of the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Day 0 (Feb 14)

ASUU declares one-month warning strike

The union had been deliberating on whether to embark on a fresh strike or not at its National Executive Council meeting which held at the University of Lagos.

The union had earlier said its resolution on the strike action would be announced at the end of its two-day meeting which started on Saturday, February 12, 2022.

Day 3 (Feb 16)

We will not join ASUU strike - Chukwuemeka Odumewgu Ojukwu University

Prof. Osita Chiaghanam, Interim Chairman, Progressive Academic Staff Union of Universities, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, says the institution’s priority is academic excellence.

ASUU strike: UNIBEN students mount roadblock on Benin-Ore-Sagamu road to protest They were in their numbers by the entrance of the Ugbowo campus of the university chanting slogans and solidarity songs like “aluta continua…” and “education is our right,” among others.

The students expressed their frustration over the incessant strike of university teachers, urged the federal government to heed to ASUU demands.

Day 5 (Feb 18)

ASUU Strike: Nigerian students threaten to shut down ministry of education, labour

Speaking during a telephone interview on Nigeria Info’s ‘Morning Cross Fire’ on Friday, February 18, 2022, the President of the Nigerian Students Association, Sunday Isefon, said the Nigerian students would soon speak the language the oppressors understand.

Strike: The demands of ASUU are genuine - Students to FG

Some students of University of Jos have appealed to the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to find a common ground toward ending the incessant strikes in the universities while admitting that the demands of ASUU are genuine.

Day 7 (Feb 21)

ASUU strike: Students to block major federal roads in all 36 states - NANS “I am pleased to direct an immediate commencement of planning and mass mobilisation of Nigerian students and comrades across the 36 states of the federation and FCT in line with congress decision.

“The line of actions is as follows: blockage of all major federal roads in all the 36 states of the federation.

“This will be led and coordinated by NANS Joint Campus Committee (JCC) and Zonal Executives including National officials of NANS in the states,’’ President of the Nigerian Students Association, Sunday Isefon, said.

Warning strike: FG to meet ASUU on Tuesday

The Minister for Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, will be meeting with the executives of the union and other relevant government agencies.

During the meeting, the representative of the Federal Government, the Minister of Labour disagreed with the union’s claim that the FG failed to implement some long standing agreements.

Day 10 (Feb 24)

ASUU insists strike will continue until FG meets all its demands

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted that the ongoing strike action would not be called off until the Federal Government implements all its demands.

Day 14 (Feb 28)

NANS holds peaceful protest in Jos over ASUU strike

Mr Na’allah Nanzim, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), NANS Zone C, who spoke during the protest said the protest was basically to express the students’ grievances over incessant strikes by ASUU.

According to Nanzim, the protest was also tell both the government and ASUU that education is the right of every Nigerian child, hence the need for them to find a common a ground.

He said students often suffer setbacks in their academic journeys anytime ASUU embarks on strike action.

Day 15 (March 1)

ASUU Strike: Ngige updates Buhari, says FG paid N92bn to ASUU

Ngige, who spoke to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting with the president, said the federal government had so far paid over N92 billion as earned allowances and revitalisation fee to federal owned universities across the country.

He said this was part of the implementation of the 2020 December agreement reached with the ASUU.

Day 16 (March 2)

ASUU strike will soon be cut short — Ngige

Ngige expressed the hope of truncation of the warning strike when he spoke with newsmen at the end of a conciliation meeting between government and the union.

Ngige said the meeting agreed on many issues and a timeline was scheduled for the implementation of the agreements.

According to him, ASUU officials agreed to return to their members with offers made by government and revert to him before the week runs out.

He noted that many of the items in the 2020 Memorandum of Action (MOA), had been dealt with exhaustively, while some were being addressed.

Day 17 (March 3)

ASUU Strike: FG reconstitutes team to renegotiate 2009 agreement

The minister of education listed the chairman and members of the reconstituted 2009 FGN/University-Based Unions Agreements Re-negotiation Team as Prof. Emeritus Nimi Briggs, who is also the Pro-Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, as Chairman.

The members are Lawrence Ngbale, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Wukari, as member from the North East, Prof. Funmi Togunu-Bickersteth, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi,as member from South West.

Also in the list are Sen. Chris Adighije, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University. Lokoja as member from South East, Prof. Olu Obafemi, Pro-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna as member from North-Central.

Prof. Zubairu Iliyasu, Pro-Chancellor, Kano State University of Science and Technology as member from North West and Matthew Seiyefa, Pro-Chancellor, Niger Delta University as member from South-South.

Day 22 (March 8)

Strike: ASUU sanctions erring members in Alex Ekwueme Varsity

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi, has sanctioned some of its members for allegedly flouting the ongoing nation-wide warning strike.

Day 24 (March 10)

Strike: ASUU payment platform, UTAS, failed integrity test, FG insists The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Inuwa, however, insisted that UTAS has failed the necessary tests that should qualify it to be used as a payment platform.

Inuwa stated this when he fielded questions from State House correspondents at the end of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Day 28 (March 14)

ASUU denies failure of UTAS integrity test

“This press statement is necessitated by the need for ASUU to put the records straight on the grounds already covered in our patriotic struggle to get the government to deploy UTAS as a suitable solution for salary payment in our university system.

“Let us put it on record that an integrity test was carried out by NITDA on Aug. 10, 2021 in NUC where relevant government agencies and all the end-users in the University system were present.

“At the end of the exercise, all, without exception, expressed satisfaction with UTAS as a suitable solution for salary payment in our universities.

“This was attested to by the report coming from NITDA then to the effect that UTAS scored 85 per cent in User Acceptance Test (UAT)."

ASUU extends strike by 2 months

“Yes, we have extended the strike by eight weeks, pending when the Nigerian government would find the university system worthy of the desired attention. A statement is currently being drafted to that effect. We will make it available soon.”

‘We’ve met all your demands’- FG wonders why ASUU extends strike by 8 weeks

“ASUU announced and we met and everything that they have demanded, we have done all of them including the earned allowances and the revitalisation fund; they choose to extend it for two months may be.”

Day 32 (March 18)

LAUTECH students give lecturers 72 hours to pull out of ASUU strike

The union, in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday in Ibadan, urged the lecturers to toe the path of lecturers at the Kwara State University (KWASU) who opted out of the strike.

Day 39 (March 25)

ASUU: Students embark on skill acquisition as strike enters fourth week

Some students have resorted to learning different kinds of skills following the announcement by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to extend its one-month warning strike by another two months.

Day 57 (April 12)

Strike: FG restates commitment to renegotiate agreement with ASUU

Ngige said he has been pushing to see that everything contained in the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the government and the union was done, including the implementation of the renegotiated positions.

Ngige says he’s tired of ASUU going on strike every time it disagrees with FG

"If you go to the Labour Act, there is something called picketing. You can picket. A strike is an ultimate thing. Picketing means that you can stay in the corridor, clapping or singing. Workers are permitted to do so. But I am tired that every time there is a disagreement, it is a strike."

Day 72 (April 27)

ASUU strike: Varsity lecturers making negotiation difficult–Ngige

Reacting to the insinuations that he was responsible for the ongoing action by the union, Ngige said he had done what many could not do to forestall strikes by ASUU.

2023: Minister of Education buys N100 million APC form amidst ASUU strike

Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Minister of State for Education, on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in Abuja purchased the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC’s) nomination and declaration of interest forms for the 2023 presidential election.

Day 76 (May 1)

Strike: Osinbajo appeals to ASUU, others to embrace dialogue

Osinbajo said that the federal government was not unmindful of the ongoing strike in public universities and also the anxieties of students and their parents and the thoughts of uncertain future.

Day 79 (May 4)

Education Minister insists striking ASUU members should not get paid

“The lecturers have continued to earn salaries while on strike; it doesn’t make sense to earn salaries when you have refused to work.

“If you refuse to even pay them, by the time they call off the strike, they will still come back to fight for the payment of the period they refused to work."

Day 80 (May 5)

FG denies knowing why ASUU is on strike

“Why they (ASUU) have chosen to go on strike is something that neither you nor I can explain.”

“In the school system,we have about 2.6 million Nigerian undergraduates in the nearly 200 universities across Nigeria. The federal government owns less than 50 of these universities. State governments own nearly 50 of them as well whereas private people,private organisations,faith based organisations own over 100 of them."

#EndASUUstrike: Nigerians protest over closure of public universities

Nigerians on Twitter have also virtually protested over the over-extended civil action, with some sharing stories on how many lives have been affected by the strike.

Day 84 (May 9)

No respite for students as ASUU extends ongoing strike by 12 weeks

The union announced this in a statement signed by its president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, saying the extension was meant to give the Federal Government enough time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.

Day 86 (May 11)

ASUU strike: NANS begins mass protest

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has reaffirmed that there would be no going back on the mass action declared by the association to ensure that the nation’s economy is grounded and that no political activities including primaries by political parties take place in Abuja or any part of the country until the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is called off.

Why we will remain on strike—ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) has said there is no going back on its decision to continue with its ongoing strike following Federal Government’s failure to honour the 2009 agreement.

Day 87 (May 12)

Consider donating 40% of proceeds from sale of parties’ forms to ASUU – Group

“In the interest of national development, we strongly believe that donating 40 per cent of proceeds from the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms to ASUU will immediately see schools reopening."

Again, Buhari appeals to ASUU to call off strike

According to Buhari, his administration recognises that the future of any nation is contingent on the standard of its educational system.

Day 89 (May 14)

Strikes: FG, varsity workers may reach agreement next week

The Federal Government has expressed optimism that the decisions reached at its tripartite plus meeting with the university-based unions would start yielding fruits next week.

ASUU strike has worsened drug abuse – Gov Obaseki

“Our analysis shows that there is high rate of consumption of drugs in the last few months."

Day 100 (May 25)

ASUU, polytechnic lecturers, others to get N34bn minimum wage arrears -FG

Ngige said that the beneficiaries of the Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustments included the members of the striking ASUU and their counterparts in the polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

According to Ngige, the universities will get N23.5 billion, the polytechnics N6 billion and the Colleges of Education N4 billion, bringing the total sum to N33.5 billion.

Timeline: 100 days of ASUU strike monitored by Pulse