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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has directed its members to join the nationwide strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, a professor of soil science, directed compliance in a letter to ASUU zonal coordinators and branch chairpersons across the country.

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NLC had on Monday announced the commencement of the industrial action from midnight of Monday, 13t November.

The action of the unions followed the brutalisation of the NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, on 1 November in Imo State.

“As an affiliate of NLC, all members of our union are hereby directed to join this action of NLC to protect the interest of Nigerian workers and the leadership of the union. Zonal coordinators and branch chairpersons should immediately mobilise our members to participate in the action,” Mr Osodeke wrote in the letter.

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Meanwhile, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, on Friday, restrained the labour unions from embarking on strike.

The judge, Benedict Kanyip, ordered the two major labour unions, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), to stop their industrial action scheduled to commence 14 November.

The interim order followed an ex-parte request by the Nigerian government through the office of Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, due to the Labour unions’ threat to embark on strike.

On Monday, the AGF office advised the unions against strike, asking them to respect the subsisting court order.

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ASUU has raised concerns over “the deeping socio-economic” crises in the country, which it said was an attendant effect of the implementation of “neo-liberal economic policies” by the government of President Bola Tinubu.

“In particular, NEC noted the unbearable rising cost of living and increasing hardship foisted on the Nigerian masses since the unplanned deregulation of the prices of petroleum products and the unbridled devaluation of the Naira,” it said in a statement released after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Kaduna State University (KASU) at the weekend.

The union also noted that its struggles for improved conditions of service and funding for the universities have had little gains.

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ASUU and the Nigerian government have been at loggerheads over the latter’s failure to meet the union’s litany of demands.

The demands include the revitalisation of the universities, autonomy and academic freedom, and removal of federal universities from the imposed Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The university lecturers have also made a yet-to-be-met demand for the amendment of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Act to curb the unbridled proliferation of state universities, and other related matters.

“NEC observed that successive governments have failed to honour several Agreements reached with our union, especially the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement,” the union said.

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