ASUU Defies UniAbuja VC’s Directive to Sign Attendance Register Amid Ongoing Strike

In a continuing dispute at the University of Abuja (UniAbuja), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared that its members will not comply with the Vice Chancellor’s directive to sign an attendance register. This development comes amid an ongoing strike that began on May 2, 2024, over issues such as violations of establishment laws, including improper staff appointments and promotions without a governing council.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rasheed Na’Allah, in an attempt to mitigate the strike’s impact, mandated that lecturers sign a daily attendance register to ensure academic activities could resume. Announced on the university’s official Facebook page, the VC extended the initial deadline for signing the register to June 3, 2024, and advised staff away on sabbatical or other reasons to email their deans and the registrar.

“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,” Prof. Na’Allah stated. Deans are required to compile attendance lists for submission to the registrar by the end of the day.

However, in an interview with newsmen UniAbuja ASUU chairperson Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh reaffirmed the union’s stance against the directive. He accused the VC of attempting to intimidate the lecturers without 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.