UNILAG Students Join ASUU Protest, Urge FG to Act on Union's Demands

Students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) joined members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNILAG Chapter, in a protest against the Federal Government’s failure to address the union’s nine unresolved demands.

The students, supporting their lecturers, displayed placards with inscriptions such as “education is life,” “lecturers too want an earthly reward for teaching all professions,” and “stop establishing universities you cannot fund.”

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The protesting lecturers and students also distributed handbills listing their nine demands. These demands include the conclusion of the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU agreement, an agreement based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s draft Agreement of 2021, the release of withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries due to the 2022 strike action, and the release of unpaid salaries of staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments affected by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.

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Other demands are the release of outstanding third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions, funding for the revitalisation of public universities (partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government’s Budget), Earned Academic Allowances (partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government’s Budget), addressing the proliferation of universities by Federal and State Governments, implementing the reports of visitation panels to universities, and adopting University Transparency and Accountability Solutions (in place of IPPIS).

Chairman of ASUU-UNILAG, Prof. Kayode Adebayo, explained that the protest aimed to sensitize the general public about the government’s insensitivity and silence regarding the union’s demands.