The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), yesterday resolved to roll over on-going strike for additional four weeks to give the Federal Government more time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.
The decision followed extensive deliberations, which took cognisance of the government’s past failures to abide by its own timelines in addressing issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA).
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the (ASUU) held on Sunday at the Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja.
The meeting was called to review developments since NEC’s resolution to extend its roll-over strike action by another 12 weeks with effect from 9h May, 2022.
The NEC meeting took place against the backdrop of the government’s obligations as spelt out in the Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed with ASUU on 23rd December 2020.
The decision followed extensive deliberations, which took cognisance of the government’s past failures to abide by its own timelines in addressing issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA).
Outstanding grievances
In a statement by its President, Emmanuel Osodeke, issued at the end of the meeting, the striking lecturers listed a number of specific grievances leading to the extension of the strike. The NEC recalled:
- the government’s failure to conclude the process of renegotiating the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement;
- deploy the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS);
- pay outstanding arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA);
- release agreed sum of money for the revitalization of public universities (Federal and States);
- address proliferation and governance issues in State Universities;
- settle promotion arrears;
- release withheld salaries of academics; and,
- pay outstanding third-party deductions led to the initial declaration of the roll-over strike on 14th February, 2022.
The statement further reads: “NEC viewed with seriousness the recent directive given by the President and Visitor to all Federal Universities that the Minister of Education, in consultation with other government officials, should resolve the lingering crisis and report to him within two weeks.
“The Union wonders why it had taken five full months and needless muscle-flexing for the government to come to the realisation of the need for honest engagement.
“NEC acknowledged the growing understanding of the issues and the groundswell of support for the Union’s principled demand for a globally competitive university education in Nigeria.”
Against this backdrop, ASUU insisted that “Nigerian universities must not be reduced to constituency projects that merely exist on paper and our scholars must be incentivised to stay back and do what they know best, here in Nigeria.”
In particular, “NEC noted that cumulative indifference by the political class gave vent to the pervasive atmosphere of insecurity which now threatens seamless provision of educational services in the country.”
NEC noted that cumulative indifference by the political class gave vent to the pervasive atmosphere of insecurity which now threatens seamless provision of educational services in the country.
Other developments
The Council equally appreciated the historic nationwide protest of July 26th and 27th, organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in collaboration with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to further create awareness on the antics of the Nigerian ruling class to destroy public education.
It therefore renewed ASUU’s commitment to the struggles of NLC in championing the cause of the working and suffering Nigerians.
NEC also warned that the “non-signing of the draft renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement more than one month after it was concluded by the Prof. Nimi Briggs-led Committee is further tasking the patience of ASUU members nationwide.”
Besides, it observed that “the on-going trial of the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed ldris, on allegation of monumental fraud has vindicated ASUU’s rejection of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information (IPPIS).”
The Council therefore urged the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), “to release reports of the latest tests on the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) vis-à-vis IPPIS without further delay.”
It added that “ASUU shall resist any attempt to truncate the deployment of UTAS with all legitimate means available to the Union.”
Furthermore, NEC note the unceremonious closure of educational institutions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following the recent attack on Presidential Guards, betrays a panicky measure to addressing a malignant ailment.
This, it concluded, is “Nothing short of a comprehensive overhaul of the security architecture of the country will sustainably address the problem.”
