ASUU Intimidating CONUA Members, Says Sunmonu on Inside Sources

The President of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), Niyi Sunmonu, has accused the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of intimidating and harassing CONUA members who chose not to participate in strike actions across some Nigerian universities. Sunmonu made the allegations while speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels TV, where he […]

The President of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), Niyi Sunmonu, has accused the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of intimidating and harassing CONUA members who chose not to participate in strike actions across some Nigerian universities.

Sunmonu made the allegations while speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels TV, where he defended CONUA’s stance against strikes and insisted on the constitutional right of academics to freedom of association and choice.

According to him, CONUA does not dispute ASUU’s right to industrial action but insists that academics who opt to continue working should not be victimised.

“People [ASUU members] that chose to go on strike are legitimate and within their rights to do so. People who choose to say that for whatever reasons, we do not believe in strikes, as CONUA, as free citizens in this country, should also be respected for their choice,” Sunmonu said.

Sunmonu cited incidents at the University of Benin, where he claimed CONUA members were targeted for refusing to down tools during an examination period.

“In University of Benin, our members were harassed for choosing to continue to work because they were in exam period that time. They [ASUU members] went to classes that they could not invigilate exams etc. It took the intervention of the university to put a stop to that. We didn’t declare any strike.”

He praised the response of the university’s management, urging other vice chancellors to take similar steps to protect staff who choose not to join strike actions.

“We want Vice Chancellors to emulate that kind of VC in UNIBEN to allow freedom of choice as long as it is in alignment with Section 40 of the constitution,” he added.

Sunmonu also raised concerns over what he described as attempts to block CONUA members from accessing their Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), particularly at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

“The two I mentioned about EAA happened in the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Our sister union [ASUU] just said you cannot partake in the EAA. It is earned academic allowance. It’s our money. In fact, that took me by surprise,” he said.

According to Sunmonu, it required legal intervention before CONUA members were eventually paid.

“It took our lawyers to write the VC of that university and the Honourable Minister of Education before our members were paid there,” he explained.

He described a similar experience involving a CONUA member at the University of Jos, calling it particularly distressing.

“One more painful one to me was last week, our member in the University of Jos was just paid his own EAA. EAA that was paid in April to June this year,” Sunmonu said.

The CONUA president concluded by reiterating his call for mutual respect among university unions and strict adherence to constitutional provisions, warning that intimidation and exclusion undermine industrial harmony in the university system.

He stressed that CONUA’s position is not anti-union but pro-choice, insisting that Nigeria’s universities can only function effectively when the rights of all academics—whether on strike or not—are protected and respected.