ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed frustration over ‘government’s lack of commitment and delay tactics.’ He warned that the union should not be held responsible for any industrial disharmony that might arise from government’s failure to seize the new opportunity and concretely address all the lingering issues to the satisfaction of ASUU members.
The National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU had earlier met in Ibadan in August. It gave the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum to address all the unresolved issues plaguing the Nigerian public universities.
On September 19, 2024, the leadership of ASUU met again to review government’s response. It regretted the failure of government to fully implement the Memoranda of Understanding/Actions (MOUs/MOAs) arising from its 2009 Agreement with the union. There have been many other agreements between the government and ASUU. But they all revolve around the agreement reached since 2009.
Some major demands of ASUU are well known. They include, among others, conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s Draft Agreement of 2021; release of withheld three-and-a-half month salaries due to the 2022 strike; release of unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments affected by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS); funding for the revitalization of public universities; payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA); implementation of the reports of visitation panels to universities; and University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a replacement for IPPIS.
ASUU regretted that despite the fact that funds were allocated for payment of EAA and revitalization of public universities in the 2023 budget; and in spite of the Presidential directive on moving academics out of the IPPIS platform, nothing has been done in these areas for close to one year.
The Federal Government had agreed to inject N1.3 trillion for revitalization of public universities in six tranches starting from 2013. It released the first tranche of N200 billion in 2013 and failed to release the N220 billion each year for the five subsequent years as agreed. It cited paucity of funds.
But government’s wasteful spending puts question marks on this paucity of funds claim. For instance, the Federal Government reportedly spent N150 billion on a new presidential jet and N21 billion on the residence of the Vice-President. There are other frivolous expenditures that question the sincerity of government in meeting the demands of ASUU.
ASUU is not the only union frequently going on strike in the universities. The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) also go on strike from time to time. Recently, the National Association of Academic Technologists, (NAAT) gave the FG a 21-day ultimatum, starting from September 30, 2024, to pay its members their five-and-half-month withheld salaries among other demands or it will embark on an industrial action. There was a presidential directive over five months ago to pay the withheld salaries, but this has not been done.
Our university system has been so bastardized that international students hardly come to Nigeria to study as was done in the past. These days, Nigerians are the ones migrating to foreign universities to get quality education. Those who do not have the resources to acquire foreign education or go to private universities are the ones who bear the brunt of these frequent strikes. They waste their youthful energies at home while the strike lasts. Some of them fall victims to rape and other criminal activities in the country.
Government should take ASUU’s ultimatum seriously and stop reneging on agreements with it and other varsity unions. Allowing the strike to go on will ruin varsity education and compromise the standard. The Federal Ministry of Education should dialogue with the union and stop the disruptions in the academic calendar. Good enough, the ministry has reportedly set up a 31-member panel to renegotiate the agreement with ASUU.
Education funding, especially varsity funding, should be prioritized. Government should start by recognizing the role of varsity education in national development and paying members of ASUU all outstanding salaries and allowances. It should settle this matter once and for all so that peace will reign on our campuses.
END.
