Implement All Agreement With ASUU, NLC Tells FG

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to implement all agreements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Specifically, the Congress called on the government to sign the re-negotiated 2009 FG-ASUU agreement.

It urged relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that the government team should be resolved was discharged immediately to end the stalemate.

NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba, in a statement, said: “On the ongoing warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), we wish to state that the current industrial impasse is very unfortunate.

“The issues in contention include the 2009 Re-negotiated Agreement. The Federal Government took the draft Agreement and promised to consult and return to conclude the signing. The Federal Government is yet to conclude the signing of the agreement. Also, the government is yet to honour the terms reached at the May 2021 Agreement signed with ASUU.

“In order to protect the future of our youths whose academic life is being disrupted, we urge the Federal Government to implement all the agreements it entered with ASUU. Specifically, we call on the government to sign the re-negotiated agreement with ASUU.

“Furthermore, President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier directed that a Federal Government team should meet with ASUU to resolve all the outstanding issues. We call on relevant MDAs to ensure that Mr. President’s directive is discharged immediately to end the stalemate.”

The NLC also condemned the current petrol scarcity all over the country which it said had exposed millions of Nigerian drivers and commuters to great hardship.

“We understand that the current situation is as a result of petroleum products hoarding. We call on all petrol marketers to show sensitivity to the difficulties faced by the generality of Nigerians and ensure prompt discharge of petrol to consumers.

“We also call on relevant regulatory agencies of government to rein in the activities of unscrupulous petroleum products marketers who go devilish miles to make dishonest gains and at the detriment of their fellow citizens. We also state that this situation reinforces our argument for domestic refining of petroleum,” the NLC said.

On the minimum wage, the NLC said: “Following a recent agreement with the Kogi State Government on the implementation, only Abia, Cross River, Zamfara and Taraba State governments are yet to commence implementation of the national minimum wage.

“We demand that the affected states commence implementation without further delay as acting otherwise is tantamount to breaking Nigeria’s law.”