The Academic Staff Union of Universities has countered claims by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, that about 98 per cent of the demands by the lecturers have been met.

In a statement on Thursday, the Ibadan zone of the union said the Federal Government had met only two of eight demands contained on December 22, 2020, Memorandum of Action since the last nine months.

The statement, which was issued after the union’s meeting at the Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso chaired by its Coordinator in LAUTECH, Prof. Oyebamiji Oyegoke.

In 2020, a nine-month strike by ASUU, which commenced in March and was called off in December, paralysed public universities in the country.

The lecturers had gone on strike following their disagreement with the government over the funding of the universities and ineffectiveness and discrepancies around the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, among others.

ASUU, however, developed the University Transparency and Accountability Solution to replace the IPPIS and had several meetings with officials of the ministries of finance, education, labour and employment, and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation before the UTAS was approved, but it has yet to be implemented.

Frustrated by FG’s approach, the ASUU zone threatened that there could be another “ticking bomb”, saying the government is yet to address the release of withheld salaries and non-remittance of check-off dues of the union among others.

Part of the statement read, “For the avoidance of doubt, ASUU stated that only salary shortfall and setting up of Visitation Panels to the Federal Government-owned universities have been addressed by the government in nine months.

Other demands such as the renegotiation of conditions of service, injection of revitalisation funds, payment of earned academic allowances, implementation of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution have not been addressed