How We Will Resolve Academic Strike – CONUA, ASUU’s Rival Union Reveals

Following the formal recognition of the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA), the union has faulted the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)’s choice of using strike to relay their grievances to the Federal government.

According to CONUA, instead of embarking on strike, it will adopt negotiation method to reach a win-win agreement with the Federal Government, thereby resolving the issues of academic strike that has lingered for over 40 years under various governments.

Speaking on Arise TV News night on Tuesday, CONUA’s National Coordinator, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, said;

“in that period of 40 years, we’ve had different kinds of governments, the military dictators, the democracy that we all enjoy; we’ve had one response and that response is put pen to paper on agreement and renege on the agreement later.

“We are of the opinion that these agreements, to us, are actually done under duress; where you have the situation in which the other party which is the government that you’re actually discussing with, comes to a meeting with a relaxed mind that once they have an agreement that is workable; when they put pen to paper to sign, they would honour that.”

“issues are resolved at the table; why can’t we devote more time to that so as to avoid casualties? In this case, casualties are parents and students.”

“We want to deploy all our faculties, all our networks to the area of discussions at the table that will lead to a win-win situation; discussions that will lead to an agreement that the other side will not feel it’s being compelled to do”.

Recall that the minister for Labour and employment, Chris Ngige on Tuesday, issued a certificate of recognition to CONUA and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) which according to him, had been seeking recognition since 2018.

The unions’s recognition comes amid the over seven months old strike of ASUU.