Happiness Uduk, an Associate Professor of English Studies, University of Uyo, was elected the first female Financial Secretary of ASUU in April 2025.
It is the first time a woman is occupying such a senior position in the almost 50 years of the union.
Dr. Uduk has been a strong voice advocating for the welfare of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
Until her election as the first female Financial Secretary, she was also the first female Chairperson of University of Uyo Chapter of ASUU and first female Zonal Cordinator of the union (Calabar zone).
In an interview with Policy and Politics, she explained her roots, her experiences as a female unionist, her ability to strike a balance between her career and family among others.
PP: Can you give us a brief profile of yourself and how you into unionism?
My name is Happiness Uduk. I am a teacher in the Department of English, University of Uyo, also Associate Professor of English Studies currently. I had my primary education and my first secondary school year in Lagos; but when police officers were asked to go back to their states, my father had to return to Akwa Ibom State, so I continued my secondary education at the Uyo High School.
My first and second degrees are from the University of Uyo. I had my PhD from the University of Calabar. So I’m a Malabite, Reasonable action anytime.
Last week, Monday (May 19), I was elected as the first female Financial Secretary of Academic Staff Union of Universities.
That’s the first time a female is occupying that office since ASUU came into being in 1977.
Before I became the first female Zonal Cordinator of Calabar Zone, I was the first female chairperson of ASUU, UniUyo. I am a wife, a mother and a very good Christian.
P. P. When did your unionism start?
Yes, well, unionism in terms of activism, sure has always been part of my life. I’m the first daughter in a family of eight. So I’ve always been a leader, so to say. And then I remember that in my primary school at Army Children’s School, Dordan Barracks in Lagos, I was a prefect. I still remember I was a science girl. And then in our high school, I was the assistant senior prefect. So I’ve actually been a leader. I’ve been in activism, I’ve been the voice of those who don’t have a voice to speak for themselves, whether it is in the church, at home, in the office, anywhere. So activism has been there. But maybe, to be very precise, activism in terms of ASUU, where I’m known to be a voice. I remember in 2005/ 2006 when our branch ASUU was in the trenches. The chairperson here was dismissed; four members of the EXCO were suspended and that matter was known as the Ushie and others, or the Uyo 4. So the branch now thought that we’ve been in limbo for a while and then thought how do we get out of this and get onto mainstream ASUU?Then Professor Ashong Ashong, he was then known as Dr.Ashong Ashong, was called upon because of his integrity and character to lead the branch. He gave the people who came to him one condition, the condition was that he would select those he could work with.
I don’t know why, but I was selected and I became the first female Assistant Secretary – that was 2006 and after that I had a need to go back to school for my PhD in 2009. I came back in 2013, the then treasurer resigned and then I acted as treasurer for three months until it was time for elections in January 2914, and I later became treasurer and did two tenures of four years then rose to become the Vice Chairperson of the branch. Then the Chairperson had a higher responsibility where he became the provost of a College of Education and I had to step in constitutionally as the acting chairperson of the branch for three months and then emerged as the first female chairperson of the branch.
I didn’t finish my tenure and was appointed the female Zonal Cordinator of ASUU Calabar zone.
I believe that I was being prepared because nothing happens by chance. David in the Bible was even prepared in the bush before he faced Goliath, so I believe with these smaller roles, I was prepared to be an activist and unionist.
PP: Being a woman and first female Chairperson in UniUyo; and at a Zonal Cordinator, do you experience stereotypes from the men?
ASUU is one Union in which everybody is equal . We don’t consider gender in our union. I’ve not really had that kind of thing where people will say, “she is a woman. Don’t give her the responsibility”. Perhaps it happens covertly without them knowing because of the chauvinistic tendency and patriarchal nature of the society, it may show up in some persons but it’s not something that has become the norm. Our union does not look at stereotypes that’s why officers are called Chairpersons and not chairmen because that seat can be sat on by both male and female. I have not had that kind of stereotypical treatment, in any case I don’t even allow it, I announce it, if you want to put me in a box or frame, I won’t allow it, if you say this post is for women, I don’t want it, by God’s grace I can compete favorably without sounding immodest.
Initially, when I emerged as the first female chairperson of the branch, I was told that the branch was not ready for a female chairperson. But it was actually the men who invited me. They said, “we want to change the narrative”. They nominated me and I’m sure they didn’t regret it.
PP: But ASUU has not yet had a female President?
Well, we are evolving and when it gets to that time, one will sit. Up until that election last week Monday, only one office was held by a female and that was the Welfare but when we went there just as the theme of 2025 international women’s day, “Breaking the glass ceiling” by my emergence, we broke the glass ceiling and we will continue breaking the glass ceilings.
PP: What are your challenges in navigating through your career, unionism and home?
Challenges on how I’ve been able to meet up with roles as mother, as wife, yes, I’ve blended because the children assist now, I don’t feel it much sometimes it dawns on me that you are a wife you should be back home. When my kids where much younger, I cooked everyday when I’m done in school and on my way back home, I stopped by the market and get food items to cook. The moment I hit the house, I go inside the kitchen to cook and we eat, maybe that was why I’ve not had too much of problems because I did not allow the home front to suffer. I have to understand that not because God has raised me to this level that I should play down on the other roles of being a wife and mother, etc.
PP: How did your election as Financial Secretary come about? Did you indicate interest in the office?
No you don’t indicate interest, the way our union runs is when you get there members of the union pick people, most often than not we don’t allow open campaigns even at the branch level, we have stipulated things you can not do, you can’t even send a text message or promote yourself, the union has a way of throwing up the best people.
During the NDC (National Delegates Congress), I wasn’t a delegate which means I couldn’t vote but that didn’t foreclose that I could be voted for, so we sat outside and I was later called and asked to be the Financial Secretary. But I was shocked, but since it was the people that chose me, I wouldn’t say no, so I accepted.
PP: So what could have been the reason for your nomination and election even though you were not even a delegate and campaigns are not even allowed?
I think service. Service speaks. Without sounding immodest, I’ve served the union and served in different committees. I tried doing any assigned job with utmost dedication. And you must realize that people are watching . One thing is that when you are giving service, keep in mind that don’t seeing whatever you’re doing. My election came with overwhelming majority of votes.
PP: There is no union that is as fierce as ASUU in fighting for welfare of members. ASUU has adopted strike as a potent tool for that agitation. Is strike not too much? Can’t you adopt another strategy?
Let me throw back the question at you , if you say we should come up with another option, can you suggest one? We have used every strategy, and nothing works except strike. Before ASUU embarks on a strike, it must have used every other means and if all fails, what do you expect ASUU to do?
Besides,ASUU is not the only union that uses strike as the last resort. Strike is always the last resort and the only language that government seems to understand. We’ve had governments that seemed to be deaf – they won’t hear all that you have been saying as a union and if need be for you to go on strike so that your members will have something, why won’t you? We are seen as strike mongers, it’s like our trump card.
When you play other things and they don’t work then you play that card. You know we played that card in 2020 for seven months, nothing happened, we played it again in 2022 for eight months and we are yet to recover.
PP: When you said you’ve not recovered, what does that mean?
Three months salaries are still pending, again we lost members, you know for the first time we were on strike, salaries were not paid, again we tell government that we are not core civil servants because for civil servants when they embark on a strike, they come back and continue as if nothing happened.
We don’t continue, rather, we begin from where we stopped, in teaching you must teach to the end and administer exams, that’s why we tell government you don’t need to bother stopping the salary because you will still pay. Also note that those salaries were budgeted for, yet we have not been paid, where are the monies? They paid four months last year what of the remaining three and half? We learnt Mr president said he will not pay but we know he will pay.
PP: Why did he say so?
I don’t know, we are waiting to meet with him, unfortunately again the president has been in office for almost two years, in few days time, May 29 precisely he will be two years, he has not met with the union, we have agitated, we have talked yet nothing seemed to change.
PP: Does it mean that ASUU is now handicapped because for almost two years infact since the inception of this administration, ASUU has not gone on strike?
You know the trajectory changed towards the end of President the Buhari administration. The last time we went on strike, we suspended that strike from the court. The Labour Minister, Dr.Ngige, had to take us to court, the National Industrial Court, and we had a ruling even though we were divided to be very candid as a union in terms of obeying and going on civil disobedience.
We would have as well put down tools and gone our way but we said we teach students, we teach arbitration, so we don’t need to do that. We’ve been talking and this is three years, nothing has changed, our agreement that we started renegotiating since 2017, as we speak the president has not even gotten the documents not to talk of giving assent. So we are still working with 2009 agreement. Our salaries are still based on the 2009 Agreement.
We are not handicapped, just as I said we use all tools, persuasion, negotiation until we have a total collapse, then we bring our trump card which is strike.
PP: The main point of disagreement the last time was that ASUU should off IPPIS. Has it been settled?.
Well, it’s settled, but we are still under the shadows of IPPIS. Government has not been fair to the union. Before embarking on that strike we told government that we hate neo colonialism and neo liberalism, we can’t be tied to the apron strings of those who colonized us. We have the wherewithal, we have the human resources and capabilities, we know that IPPIS has something to do with the Bretton Woods institutions.
So the union told them that information about workforce in Nigeria should not be outsourced to foreign institutions. We told them also that we can’t be teachers, teaching and then we cannot come up with a platform to pay our salaries. And they said go ahead, and said what time do you need we said three months and we finished that work before three months. We finished the plan and up untill now government has not accepted it. Three times it went through test with NILDA, it never failed, the last time, it came out 93.5% and I’ve never seen where 93.5% is a failure. It was adjudged the best but has not been accepted. The good thing is that we are selling our products and some universities have agreed to adopt it. Since we moved unto Gifmes, we are still under the shadow of IPPIS because after preparing the payroll you still need to send to IPPIS for vetting for onward transmission to the office of the Accountant General.
PP: We learnt that why government did not accept it was that it did not bar lecturers from getting two, three jobs around the university system.
Why should it? All their private universities where are they getting lecturers from? Is it not from public university? Think of it, if you ask me as a person, I prefer my children going to public university, they have intellectuals and professionals at the public school and that’s why private universities get lecturers from public schools to teach the students. A lot of them don’t even have permanent lecturers. Our work and conditions of service allow us to go on adjunct and sabbatical and it’s the standard practice globally.
PP: So the issue of adjunct has been taken care of now?
Well its been taken care of. There is something in the 2025 budget that is captured known as non regular allowances from which universities can get their adjunct staff and pay them and even contract staff that we didn’t have over the years.
PP: Are the lecturers in public universities motivated enough to teach students?
No, lecturers are not motivated, government is not funding universities, nobody is motivated when salaries are at the same level, same pay more than sixteen years since 2009.
PP: And government is busy founding new universities?
This is because they use them as payback for those who helped them during their political aspirations and campaigns. That’s why one thing that ASUU has been fighting against is proliferation of private and public universities because a government that is not even able to take care of the few, is setting up more to come and struggle for the little resources.
You see NELFUND that government set up, government is borrowing from TETFUND to give those loans.
PP: But TEFFUND was set up by government for specific reasons…
Yes Tetfund was not set up for that purpose that is why it is called tertiary education fund. It was supposed to be for infrastructure and development of the workforce both teaching and non teaching. It’s from tetfund that they fund staff training. I’ve benefitted from tetfund at the masters level and at the PhD.
Borrowing money from tetfund for NELFUND is a clear violation of tetfund mandate. Sometime ago, we saw in the news that EFCC was after some universities because of mismanagement of Nelfund money and there was somewhere it was written what was taken out from TETFUND. That’s where we talk about dishonesty. You set up a commission with a mandate, yet you do something else. And remember, this is not the first time that we have Students Loan scheme in the country. It was there in the ’70s, and it failed, that’s why ASUU has been saying to government if somebody whose parents are poor is placed on loan and our society is not where you will readily have jobs after graduation, how do you expect the pay back?
Are you not plunging that person back into poverty? Why not isolate people and give grants?, when you give grant, it’s better.
PP: You know Tetfund was created out of ASUU strike?
Ofcourse you can’t take that away from us, first it was ETF and General Buhari was managing under the Abacha regime. It was when we saw that primary schools, secondary schools were drawing from it, that’s why we called for a renaming so that it will be for tertiary institutions.
PP: Currently as a principal officer of ASUU at the National level, what are you people going to do differently to ensure that some of your concerns raised are addressed?
Normally we don’t put our strategies out there, but for the first time different people have been selected from different branches and we are going to put our acts together, understudy the situation, brainstorm on situations. We will rub minds and I’m sure the superior argument will carry the day,. There are so many things undone: the renegotiated agreement has not yet got to the president, the three and half months unpaid salaries among others. See, government paid us four months salaries and deducted our osusu and loans that we had already finished paying and they have not remitted to us.
PP: Was that a mistake?
We will say it was a mistake because if you didn’t pay people, then two years later you were now going to pay them when they sent those letters they sent it with names of people who were owing and now have finished paying you should have called back and that has never happened in the history of the union. Beore then we were on strike, salaries were stopped and later government paid and deducted things, no, you pay full, up till now they have not paid back, we call it third party deductions, they have not paid back, when you ask, they said it’s Central Bank that did the payment, who do we go to ask where those things are? Some people have more than a million Naira hanging so these are issues and things that stare us in the face that we need to look at.
PP: As the current Zonal Cordinator, and strong advocate for members’ welfare, you may have stepped on some toes. Has this affected your promotion or career growth?
I don’t think it has, there may be internal politicking, I’ve not lost any promotion until I got to the Associate Professorship level. Associate professor and Professor, are political because they are actually in the hands of the Vice Chancellor. He decides when you have sent your work to him. You send out your published works to three people in three different universities. You can send your work and it can remain there for years. Like I sent mine either January 2023 or December 2022, uptil now I’ve not been announced, I can’t say that’s victimization, I believe it’s bureaucracy, my promotion has not delayed except when I got to the professorial cadre.
My associate professorship was supposed to be in 2019 but I was announced in 2021 though it was backdated to 2019 and by 2022 I began processing for this (professorial). So I’m waiting to be announced, I won’t say that I’m being victimized, I can agree that sometimes some people take these things personally but we don’t take these personally we are only agitating for the welfare of members who elected us to fight for them and to be their voice where they can’t reach . I’m a firm believer in God, God’s timing is usually the timing that we can’t tell when it will happen, but when they come we see the good in it so I’m waiting on God for my announcement. Also promotion does not come from South East, North and West but from God. If it’s stepping on toes, yes I’ve stepped on toes, several toes, those who have refused to talk to me or pick my calls again, one thing that makes me happy is that I disturbed their sleep to ensure that my members are happy. We will do more, what we are asking is for God to give us grace, good health and open doors that will help us to do our best and leave legacies. It’s just two years and if after that my people say I should go again, I’ll stand elections again for another post, if not I go home and rest
PP: There are young ladies grappling with career and and family without knowing how to balance it, what is your advice?
The basic thing is to know where you are going, be open, transparent and truthful. Know your limit, it got to a point when I said to myself when I leave office, I’m not taking any work back home so that I can concentrate at home but for how long I did it I can’t tell. Also it’s not that when we go out people don’t talk to us about something but set a boundary. Then you don’t allow anybody to push you down whoever it is, I’ve trained my girls also not to allow anyone push them down, if you know what you want, you go all out for it, above all, is God because if you know God and fear him and practice it, he will go along with you, don’t be stereotyped, girls shouldn’t go there it’s for boys, no!! finally this job we do when it’s time for promotion there is no gender specification, nobody will say because you are a woman submit three papers while men should submit five, no, everything is equal at that level the person reviewing your work is blind to gender whether you are a male or female. It’s the same number every body must submit.
As a woman we need to work doubly, you know you face home, you have the job, when you get back home you head to the kitchen, your husband may sit and read newspapers, it’s not problem. Just make food and after eating you have other responsibilities as a mother and wife at home, and your job too. Don’t allow anybody deceive you, women are endowed by God to carry out those responsibilities. Women can multitask and the result will be fantastic. So for those young girls coming up, know what you want, and face it without distractions and when you get married, you must balance it with responsibilities at home, don’t allow anyone to suffer, above all pray for good husbands like the one He has given me. What he(my husband) tells me is just keep going, keep going, I am solidly behind you, the sky is not your limit but just a playground for you (laughs).
