The Congress of Nigerian University Academics, headed by Dr Niyi Sunmonu, a breakaway faction of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, has stated that the new union of lecturers will democratise the university setting.
CONUA’s National Coordinator, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, emphasised the need to democratise the university setting, saying this was what academics should be after, adding that academics must look at issues from different perspectives.
He said the union would do things differently in resolving the imbroglio rocking Nigerian universities, particularly on recurring strike actions.
Sunmonu said there should not be a fixed perspective on issues, noting that it should not be a matter of “only this way or the highway.”
In an interview with Arise TV’s “News Night,” which aired on Tuesday, Sunmonu claimed that the use of strike action to press domestic demands had been ongoing in the nation for more than 40 years.
Sunmonu noted that even in situations of outright wars, “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,” Sunmonu said.
Recall that the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) and CONUA were among the two unions that the Federal Government registered in the university system on Tuesday in an effort to lessen the power of ASUU. You can read more of such stories at Credible News
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The two unions would coexist with ASUU, according to Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Productivity, who spoke as he handed the certificates of registration to the two groups.
Currently, ASUU is on strike as of February 14, 2022. Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, the government-instituted payment platform, should be replaced with the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, according to the union, which is the most respected umbrella organisation for university lecturers in Nigeria. The union also wants adequate funding for universities.
You can read more of such stories at Credible News and The Cheer News
