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Factional academic body made up of some Nigerian universities lecturers, has recently emerge as a breakaway group from the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU).
The academic body which is known as Congress of University Academics (CONUA) held its first National Stakeholders Forum meeting at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU),Ife.
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Addressing Newsmen after the stakeholders meeting, the National Coordinator of the new union, Niyi Ismaheel, said the lecturers decided to form the new group to redefine unionism and restore peace and stability in universities.
Ismaheel said that the new union would form a new approach of engagement in addressing the welfare of its members and to put to an end “the unnecessary wasting of student’s academic time as a result of frequent strike action.”
He claimed that the new union already has members in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Federal University, Lokoja and Kwara state university, Molete.
“The union is putting necessary documentation in place for official recognition by the university management and the government,” he added.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, confirmed that the union has applied to be registered by the ministry.
Ngige said that a committee has been set up to look at their application.
“They have not been registered yet. Their application is in the ministry. They submitted it even before I left. They submitted the application in April. It has not been treated.
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“We are still looking at their application. I asked a committee to look at it. When we look at the committee report we will know,” the minister said.
ASUU President, Dr. Biodun Ogunyemi, while responding to the development, said the new group is the brainchild of some university Vice Chancellor, who are bent on disintegrating ASUU to weaken its powers.
