By Chinedum Treasure
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Owerri Zone has advised federal government to utilize the remaining eight days to the expiration of the one month window given to address the lingering demands.
The body also called on stakeholders to urge government to do the right things and give lecturers a living wage within the remaining days of the one month window period.
Addressing newsmen at the ASUU Secretariat, Zonal Coordinator, Prof Dennis Aribodor accused government functionaries of undermining the negotiation process through subtle misrepresentation of offers and implementation of agreements just to score cheap political points.
He regretted government’s continuous failure to prioritise education, accusing it of perceives the sector as commercial good for self sustaining instead of social good guaranteeing peace, progress and national development.
He said, “This press conference was necessitated by the need to alert all the critical stakeholders in the Nigeria University System and, in deed, the general public that time is running out to prevent a full blown industrial action in our public universities.
“Recall that ASUU out of respect for students and their parents, the media, Nigeria Labour Congress and other well meaning Nigerians reviewed the then ongoing two weeks warning strike, declared on October 13, 2025, and resolved to suspend the strike action on October 22, 2025, 5 days before the expiration of the two weeks.
“The Union gave one month window to government to resolve all issues. Eight days to the end of this one month window period, where are we?
“ASUU Owerri Zone further reviewed the progress made in the renegotiation process since the suspension of the warning strike over two weeks ago and rejected the proposed salary increment, which we consider as an insult to Nigerian university academic staff.
“The proposal is not capable of bringing out the best among university lecturers and cannot reverse the perennial brain drain syndrome, which has devastated our universities for decades.
“The salary and conditions of service components of the renegotiation process remain a sore point that needs a radical approach to stem the tide in the system.
“To us in ASUU Owerri Zone, government functionaries are undermining the negotiation process by the subtle misrepresentation of offers and implementation of agreements just to score cheap political points.
“The part payment of promotion arrears dating as far back to 2017, the release of third party deductions, which are part of members salaries for years are mere confidence measures, and must not be construed as the substantial issues of the negotiation process.
“The framing of government’s implementation is not the true reflection of the reality and this strategy portends great danger to the renegotiation as it casts doubt to the sincerity of government.
“Government’s objective must not be to win the narrative but to solve the real problems. That’s the way forward.”
The Zone comprises Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Federal University of Technolowerri (FUTO), Imo State University (IMSU) Owerri, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) Awka.
