ASUU Stages Rally in OOU Ahead of Nationwide Strike
On June 19, 2024, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) held a peaceful rally to raise awareness about an upcoming nationwide strike
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
On Wednesday, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, conducted a peaceful rally to raise awareness among parents, students, and other stakeholders about the impending nationwide strike. This action is part of their ongoing efforts to press the federal government to meet their demands.
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Armed with placards bearing various inscriptions, union members highlighted key issues such as: “Nigerians, ASUU has sacrificed more than enough for the survival of the university system,” “FG stop playing politics with our educational system,” “Education is a right and not a privilege,” and “Our negotiation should be completed and implemented.”
Dr. Wasiu Olooto, the Acting Chairman of the OOU branch, led the rally. He explained that the strike, initially scheduled to begin, had been postponed until July to allow lecturers and other stakeholders to prepare adequately. Olooto emphasized the rally's importance in protecting the nation’s public universities.
The lecturers marched through the university campus, motor parks, and bus terminals to inform the public about the imminent strike. Olooto detailed several unresolved issues necessitating the impending nationwide strike: owing ASUU members eight months' salary under the guise of the 'no work, no pay' policy as punishment for a previous strike, with four and a half months still unpaid; the quest for university autonomy; the disbandment of some Governing Council Boards of Federal Universities before the end of their tenure and the refusal to recall them; non-implementation of the 2009 ASUU/FG agreement in full; rejection of the UTAS payment system developed by ASUU and the continued use of the IPPIS to pay members.
“The basis of the rally we had today is to sensitize our students and stakeholders in the university about the impending action. The action may be determined by circumstances. It might be strike or something else,” said Olooto. He added that the essence of the rally was to ensure stakeholders are aware and prepared for the strike, should it occur. He stressed that the government has failed to address several critical issues, including unpaid salaries and the adoption of policies that undermine lecturers' contributions beyond teaching.
Dr. Olooto reiterated that the lecturers fulfilled their responsibilities despite the previous strike, ensuring all academic activities were completed once the strike ended. He called for the immediate payment of the remaining unpaid salaries, emphasizing the lecturers' commitment to their duties and the unjust nature of the withheld payments.
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