The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the University of Abuja has commenced an indefinite strike to highlight concerns within the union.
The decision to embark on the strike was announced on Thursday following a congress held at the institution’s Permanent Site. UniAbuja ASUU members have been in disagreement with the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’allah, and the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, regarding the procedures for appointing a new VC.
An advertisement published in a national daily on March 15, 2024, called for the replacement of Na’Allah, sparking controversy. However, ASUU members rejected the advertisement during a conference, labeling it as “illegal” and asserting that it did not originate from the governing council. The Chairman of UniAbuja ASUU, Sylvanus Ugoh, cited the Universities Miscellaneous Provision Act 1993, as amended in 2003 and 2012 (Section 3, subsections 1 and 2), which grants exclusive authority to the governing council to advertise the VC position when vacant.
Ugoh argued that no other entity or individual has the legal authority to initiate the process of appointing a new VC. “You will recall that the university administration placed an advert on the vacancy of the post of Vice-Chancellor on Friday, March 15, 2024,” stated Ugoh.
