Strike: UniAbuja’s ASUU Disregards VC’s Directive to Sign ‘Daily Attendance’

The University of Abuja’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) branch has declared that its members will not adhere to the management’s directive to sign an attendance register, which would indicate their teaching status or resumption of lectures.

This stance is part of the union’s ongoing strike, which began on May 2, 2024, as a protest against violations of its establishment laws, including the appointments and promotions of staff without a governing council, among other issues.

In response, the vice chancellor, Prof. Rasheed Na’Allah, has mandated that lecturers sign a daily attendance register starting today, aiming to lessen the strike’s impact and facilitate the resumption of academic activities.

The VC, on the university’s official Facebook page yesterday, said, “Having considered the views and pleas of concerned members of the university community, management has agreed to extend the deadline, earlier given to staff to sign the attendance register, to indicate that he/she is teaching or has resumed teaching on Monday, 3rd June, 2024.

“Members of staff who are away from the university, either on sabbatical or for any other reason, are advised to email their respective deans and copy the registrar via registrar@uniabuja.edu.ng. Deans are accordingly required to compile the attendance list for submission to the registrar before the close of office on Monday.”

In an interview with LEADERSHIP yesterday, the chairperson of UniAbuja ASUU, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, said the union members will not comply with the directive as the strike continues.

He said the vice chancellor’s order was meant to intimidate the lecturers without the due process

“One of the issues was the employment without due process, which we say is illegal. Just on Friday, the vice chancellor released a circular to regularise the people he had just employed without due process.

“Even when we talk about solving the problem, he is still bent on proceeding with the Illegal procedure.

“So, nothing has changed. We are where we are, and I know that members are not going to sign the register,” Ugoh said.