The measures to reopen the schools may reach a brick wall, according to a study by Vanguard, as staff unions in schools , especially those owned by the FG, sounded a warning strike, while those already on strike may not yet back out.

Commenting on the growth, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, told Vanguard that the ongoing strike by the union will continue.

We started out industrial action before the outbreak of Coronavirus disease in the country. All the issues we raised are yet to be addressed. The government is free to open their schools, just like our members are also entitled to their dues.

“As we speak, our members are being owed between three to six months of salaries. The government’s so-called fund saving platform, the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, is a colossal failure. Apart from that, the government is yet to take any step to revitalise education sector among others,” he said.

Ogunyemi said that while ASUU was invited by the government to a meeting, it would wait and see what would happen, adding that ASUU was still available for negotiation.

He added that ASUU representatives would not resume work if the government did not reach an agreement with the union before the reopening date.

Similarly, on Friday, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, and the Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, working under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee, JAC, also said that from 5 October they would begin a two-week notice strike.

The branch chairmen of the UNILAG chapters of SSANU and NASU, Olusola Sowunmi and Kehinde Ajibade, speaking to newsmen in Lagos, said the government had reneged on its promises to them.

The unions accused the FG of deceiving their leaders into accepting IPPIS. Listing their demands, the unions said there were a lot of inconsistencies in the payment of salaries to members, and the non-payment of Earned Allowances to members.

Others are the delay in the renegotiation of FGN/NASU and SSANU Agreements, as well as the non-payment of retirement benefits to retired members.

They also accused the teaching staff of usurping the headship of non-teaching units.