The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Ministry of Education, warning of imminent industrial action across the 110 Federal Government Colleges, popularly known as Unity Schools, if longstanding welfare issues are not addressed.
In a letter dated January 23, 2025, and signed by its Secretary General, Joshua Apebo, the union expressed frustration over the ministry’s failure to engage in dialogue regarding critical welfare demands raised since 2023.
The ASCSN lamented that repeated letters and calls for dialogue with the Ministry of Education had been ignored.
The association vowed to mobilise workers in the Unity Schools and the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service for a nationwide strike at the expiration of the ultimatum if their grievances remain unresolved.
“Since all efforts to bring the Federal Ministry of Education to the dialogue table have been frustrated and since the national leadership of the association could no longer contain the restiveness of its members in the Unity Colleges and FEQAS, no further notice would be required after the expiration of the 21 days ultimatum issued on Thursday 23rd January 2025 before Trade Union actions start in the Unity Schools and FEQAS.
“All stakeholders are urged to prevail on the Federal Ministry of Education to embrace dialogue now instead of waiting for the industrial actions to start only for them to begin to plead with the Union to sheath its swords.”
Some of the key demands outlined by the union include payment of promotion, salary, and elongation arrears, disarticulation of Junior Secondary Schools from Senior Secondary Schools to create vacancies at the directorate level, and settlement of allowances for displaced education officers in the North-East, among others.
The union said, “There are also issues of regularisation of appointment of PTA teachers, implementation of the White Paper, which stipulates that Units of the Association in the 110 Federal Unity Schools should be members of the School Based Management Committees, so that they could be part of the decision-making processes in the schools, scholarship for children of Education Officers in colleges where their parents teach in line with the directive of former President Muhammadu Buhari.”
The association also said they are demanding the resumption of quarterly meetings with the government where members; welfare was being discussed.
Response from the Ministry of Education’s spokesperson, Folasade Boriowo, was still being expected as of the time of filing this report.
