Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has given the Nigerian Government, 21 days to resolve all outstanding issues raised by the union or its members would down tool.
ASUU National President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, who gave the ultimatum Wednesday during a press conference at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, accused Government of crippling the education sector.
He identified some of the lingering issues to include: review and signing of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement; impactful funding, including emergency revitalisation fund of public universities; and payment of outstanding earned academic allowances.
Others include immediate release of withheld salaries, promotion arrears, and third-party deductions of our members; stoppage of illegal recruitments; proliferation of public universities/abuse of universities’ laws, regulations, and processes.
Professor Osodeke also demanded immediate implementation of the presidential directive for the removal of university lecturers from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS.
He wondered why the directive by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, since December 2023 is yet to be implemented by the Accountant General of the Federation.
Osodeke further demanded removal of universities from the treasury single account (TSA) and new IPPIS, arguing that the practice negates university autonomy.
Osodeke lamented the that the salaries of university lecturers were last reviewed in 2009 when the exchange rate was below N150 per dollar while the exchange rate is now over N1500, yet the salaries of lecturers have remained static.
He said that Nigeria is the only country in West Africa where university lecturers are poorly remunerated, adding that it is disgraceful that some of Nigeria’s best brains are migrating to even war-torn Sudan in search of job.
The ASUU boss who regretted the total collapse of the primary and post-primary education system in Nigeria, said that but for the struggles by ASUU, the university system would have since collapsed.
Accusing Government of unwillingness to invest in the education sector, the ASUU boss expressed bewilderment that the Federal Government had N150 billion to spend on a new presidential jet; N90 billion as subsidy for religious pilgrimage, but paltry N10 billion as students’ loan.
Describing Federal Government’s action as misplacement of priorities, Osodeke said it was regrettable that while the United State’s President still uses his 30-year-old jet, Tinubu was in a hurry to dump Nigeria’s 19-year-old presidential jet.
Osodeke further regretted that Tinubu who while seeking election, promised that under his watch, there would no more be disruption of academic calendar, had refused to engage with ASUU with a view to resolving the union’s demands.
He also expressed shock that Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who had as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, helped in brokering peace between the union and Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government, had remained passive over ASUU plights.
He noted that out of Nigeria’s 170 universities, 79 are private while 43, and 48 belong to the federal and state governments respectively; but said 95% of students are still in public universities.
He alleged that TETFund’s intervention funds which has been the only thing sustaining public tertiary institutions in the country, are now diverted to establishing new universities when the existing ones are poorly funded.
ASUU decried the victimisation of its members at Kogi State University, Ebonyi State University, Lagos State University, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Awka, among others for demanding their rights.
The union called on the Governors of the affected states to quickly address the issues and recall the sacked lecturers or face ASSU wrath.
ASUU which said that Government aborted the payment of the scheduled tranches of arrears of Earned Academic Allowances of lecturers it promised to pay in 2021, regretted that the mainstreaming of the EAA agreed to commence in 2022, had remained a mirage.
“ASUU condemns federal and state governments’ seeming indifference in spite of countless attempts to make them attend to the plights of our members across Nigeria public universities,” Osodeke said.
ASUU which regretted that Nigerian governments no longer live up to their primary responsibilities, blamed the multi-layered crisis bedeviling Nigeria on the “thoughtless embrace of neo-liberal policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund by our ruling class.”
It warned that the 2020 #EndSARs protest, and the recent #EndBadGovernance protest, were danger signals that the masses are no longer really to accept excuses for failure.
“There is widespread poverty in the face of enormous resource potential exploited by a tiny few. The deepening sense of disillusionment among our teeming jobless and hungry youths is bound to threaten the stability of the country as well as the safety and security of the high and mighty.
“Unfortunately, the political class has remained insensitive to the escalating resentment and rage among the citizenry. It is glaring that the platitudes of “bear with us” no longer resonate with the suffering masses who cannot fulfill their family obligations or afford the prices of essential commodities.”
ASUU appealed to Nigerians to prevail on Government to quickly address all the issues it had raised to avert the unpleasant consequences of the union’s next line of action.
It said that Government, and not its members should be held responsible for whatever happens when the union takes action.
ASUU accused former Minister of Labour and Productive, Dr Chris Ngige, and his collaborators, of truncating the over five years of negotiations between the union and Government in 2021.
According to the union, instead of the former Minister getting Government to sign the document after years of painstaking engagement, it was dumped for God-knows reasons.
Professor Osodeke was flanked at the press conference by ASUU Coordinator, Calabar Zone, Comrade Happiness Uduk; her Owerri Zone counterpart, Professor Denis Aribodor; ASUU Chairman, MOUAU branch, Professor Michael Ugwuene; his Nnamdi Azikiwe University, NAU, counterpart, Professor Kingsley Ubaoji, among other chapter Chairmen and officials.
