BY ADA DIKE & TITUS AKHIGBE
Strike looms with the way things are going between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). In the past two weeks many branches of ASUU have, during their meetings voiced out myriads of problems facing the lecturers and public tertiary institutions, hoping the government would do something.
Already, the ASUU has appealed to the Federal Government to implement their agreement so as to stop the strike.
At a press conference held on Wednesday by the ASUU, Kaduna zone, some of the issues they discussed include: Renegotiation of Federal Government of Nigeria and ASUU 2009 agreement, withheld salaries of academic staff and usurpation/erosion of the university autonomy and sundry issues
Others are: Payment of earned academic allowances and promotion arrears, proliferation of universities and state of the nation.
The ASUU coordinator for the Kano Zone, Mr. Abdulqadir Muhammad, said: “ASUU-Kano Zone appeals to the Federal and State Governments to address all outstanding issues in the agreements and memoranda they signed with our Union to avert industrial disharmony in Nigerian public universities”.
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Muhammad also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to look into the re-negotiated draft agreement and approve it so that academic activities won’t be truncated through industrial action as his signing of the agreement will restore hope for the universities.
Muhammad however, disclosed that ASUU members had already collected received part of their withheld salaries, but appealed to the government to pay the outstanding balance.
The association also demanded for the payment of earned academic allowances and promotion arrears, as well as criticism of the dissolution of Governing Councils of public universities, which it deemed a violation of established laws.
In order to checkmate the establishment of universities without proper funding, ASUU further called for the review of the Nigeria University Commission (NUC) Act to tackle the unchecked proliferation of universities.
Worried over high cost of living, insecurity, unemployment and so on, ASUU called on the media, civil society, labour and student organisations to support its efforts to revitalize Nigerian public universities and urged President Tinubu to implement the terms of the agreement reached through collective bargaining.
Meanwhile, there’s light at the end of the tunnel as the Federal Government, on Wednesday, disclosed that President Tinubu has signed the four months withheld salaries of members of the ASUU which has been paid in full.
But ASUU members wondered why their request for autonomy has continued to be neglected as their salary still pass through the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS).
On December 13, 2023, most tertiary institutions including universities, polytechnics and so on, were exempted from the use of IPPIS for the payment of their staff salaries and allowances.
Observers are suspecting that this is due to selfish interest by people who are benefitting from IPPIS, they don’t want to stop it.
ASUU recently stated that, “It can be inferred from observations that the people that are benefitting from IPPIS are not ready to let go of the federal universities for their pecuniary benefits, hence, the transformation from IPPIS to new IPPIS.
“We urge the government to immediately fish out those behind this recalcitrance and call them to order.”
Reacting to that, Alhaji Baba Isa has this to say: “Sometimes I wonder how all those people sleep peacefully in their homes knowing fully well they are stealing from people’s hard earned salary, and nobody can do something about it.”
Meanwhile, at a press conference held at the University of Jos on Friday by Bauchi zone, the association asked the Federal Government to pay all their outstanding salaries being owed them and restore the Governing Council. They emphasized that that using vice chancellors to run tertiary institutions is not proper. They however, accused the government of intentionally neglecting public tertiary institutions in order to continue to exploit the masses.
In related development, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Benin Zone has urged the President Bola Tinubu- led administration to work harder and provide effective measures that would cushion the effect of its anti-poor policies that has pushed Nigerians and the Nigerian academics down the intolerable abyss of abject poverty and hardship.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Benin Zone comprises University of Benin, Benin City, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Delta State University, Abraka, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, and University of Delta, Agbor.
Addressing newsmen in Benin, Edo State on the looming crisis in Nigerian public universities, wherein it asked Nigerians to hold government responsible , Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Benin Zone, Prof. Monday Igbafen said the suffocating situation in public universities can no longer be tolerated and allowed to continue.
Igbafen said the current free-fall of the value of the Naira vis a vis international currencies, and the failure of government to honour previous agreements as well as its current neglect or refusal to provide effective measures that would cushion the effect of its anti-poor policies has pushed Nigerian academics into hardship and poverty.
He said that the 2009 Agreement was meant to kick – start the reversal of the decay in Nigerian public universities, noting that government has up till date neglected and refused its conclusive renegotiation and speedy implementation of the Agreement to stem the worsening living and working conditions in Nigerian public universities.
“We are compelled as a Union to once again draw your attention to the serial insensitivity of the government to agreements, university laws, regulations and care for the welfare of hard-working lecturers in Nigerian public universities.
“Recall that the demand to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement was one of the core issues that forced out union to embark on the nationwide strike action of February -October,2022.The union believes that the satisfactory and conclusive renegotiation of the agreement and its successful implementation is the desirable recipe for the worsening living and working conditions of staff,the pandemic problem of underfunding and other challenges of university governance in the country.
“Despite the good intentions of our Union and its members to make our universities attractive and globally competitive, government has remained adamant and unrepentant in its assault and imposition of hardship on lecturers, students and the universities.
“The failure of government to honour previous agreements and its current neglect or refusal to provide effective measures that would cushion the effect of its anti-poor policies has pushed Nigerian academics down the intolerable abyss of abject poverty and hardship.
“Accentuated by the current free-fall of the value of the naira vis-à-vis international currencies, the monthly take-home pay (salary) of the highest paid professor in Nigeria, on the average has plummeted to a meager and ridiculous US210.This is one of the least in the world and is, therefore, unacceptable to our Union,”Igbafen said.
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