CONUA Rejects Claims of Government Sponsorship, Says Sunmonu’s Comments Misleading

By Chinedu Echianu

The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has dismissed comments credited to a former President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Hassan Sunmonu describing the union as a government-sponsored organisation created to weaken the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), insisting the claims are factually and legally incorrect.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the National Secretary of the Union, Prof Henri Oripeloye, CONUA said the remarks, published by the Nigerian Tribune on January 5, misrepresented the origin, legitimacy and purpose of the union. According to CONUA, it was formed out of genuine reformist convictions within the university system and not as a product of government orchestration.

The union noted that it was formally registered in 2023 after fulfilling all requirements under Nigerian law. It added that efforts by ASUU to block its registration failed, while a subsequent legal challenge at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria was dismissed in July 2023. CONUA said the court affirmed that Nigerian law permits the existence of more than one trade union in the same workplace and does not support union monopoly.

CONUA further cited provisions of the Trade Union Act, the International Labour Organisation Convention No. 87, and Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantee workers’ freedom of association. It stressed that these legal frameworks confirm its status as a legitimate and constitutionally protected trade union.

Tracing its roots, CONUA explained that it emerged in 2018, long before the current federal administration, following unresolved internal crises within the ASUU Obafemi Awolowo University branch. The union referenced findings of an ASUU trustees’ fact-finding committee, led by Hassan Sunmonu, which reportedly faulted the annulment of branch elections and aspects of the 2016 vice-chancellor selection process at the institution.

According to CONUA, allegations of ethical breaches, financial irregularities and disregard for internal democracy within ASUU were investigated but failed to achieve reconciliation, leading to the eventual expulsion of some academics who later formed CONUA.

The union expressed disappointment that Sunmonu, who participated in the earlier fact-finding process, would now, in its view, engage in what it described as “revisionist history” by portraying CONUA as a government creation.

CONUA also disclosed that it is actively participating in ongoing renegotiations with the Federal Government, noting that its submissions have been reviewed by the Technical Sub-Committee of the Expanded Tertiary Institutions Negotiations Committee. It said it expects further engagement that could culminate in a collective bargaining agreement.

The union called on stakeholders in the education sector to respect pluralism as recognised by Nigerian labour law, warning that attempts to delegitimise alternative unions are counterproductive. It reaffirmed its commitment to dialogue, lawful engagement and advocacy for the welfare of its members and the stability of Nigeria’s university system.