The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the federal government to reverse the recent appointment of elderly politicians to the governing councils of Nigerian universities.
Prof. Kingsley Ubaorji, chairman of ASUU at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State, made this appeal on Tuesday, July 2, in Awka.
This followed a planned protest march at the institution, aimed at demanding the implementation of all renegotiations of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and addressing other related issues.
Ubaorji criticised the federal government for dissolving federal university councils without due process and appointing aged politicians.
He emphasised that university governing councils should not serve as retirement homes for old politicians.
He said: “ASUU demands immediate reversal of appointment of very old politicians as members of the governing council of federal universities in Nigeria.
“Those appointed into the council are old politicians without knowledge of university administration. University Council cannot be a dumping ground for old politicians.
“Our union condemns the dissolution of governing councils without due process. Governing Councils are crucial for the governance and strategic direction of our universities.
“Therefore, the illegal and arbitrary dissolution of the Governing Council whose tenures have not ended undermines Nigerian universities’ autonomy and smooth functioning. This cannot be tolerated as it lays a very bad precedent.
“Even the membership of the said newly reconstituted Councils is problematic. A critical look at the list of the newly constituted governing council shows that it is made up of very old politicians who do not understand the academic system and its administrative processes.
“Our public universities should not be a retirement home for politicians. We therefore call on the President Bola Tinubu-led government to do the needful by reversing its decision on the University governing council’s dissolution.
“Our union maintains that the proliferation of public universities without provisions for adequate funding and infrastructure does not auger well for our university system” he stated.
Ubaorji further urged the federal government to put a moratorium on creating more universities without substance.
Speaking shortly after the protest march, the ASUU chairman, vowed that the union would shut down academic activities in the nation’s universities for the next 10 years if the ongoing negotiations with the federal government turned out to be unfruitful.
He said it was regrettable that lecturers with noble professions resorted to street protest, describing it as an insult on the part of the government.
He said: “I want to let us know that the government is aware of what we’re doing. There are already negotiations between ASUU NEC and FG.
“That negotiation will turn out to be good. Otherwise, we’ll close the university for the next 10 years”.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused Professor Abdul Hamid Ahmed, Katsina state commissioner for higher, technical, and vocational education, of misinforming the government and the people of the state about the financial situation at the state-owned Umaru Musa Yaradua University.
Murtala Kwara, the chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, responded to the commissioner’s recent press briefing on the university’s financial state.
Speaking to The Nation in Katsina, Kwara stated that the commissioner misunderstood the fact that the university does not generate revenue and lacks a designated source of income.
He said: “Money collected from students is always designated for their respective purposes. For instance, money collected for student ID cards, GST courses, EDS, and son’’
‘’We are not revenue generating like government parastatals. I am not part of the university management so I don’t know their relationship with the government’’
‘’All we know is that the university is currently experiencing poor funding, money supplied by the government is grossly inadequate, they should do the needful. We are not crying wolf, we are always campaigning for proper funding of the university, it cannot thrive in the absence of funding’’
The ASUU chairman further called on the state government to review the university’s overhead to enable the institution to meet its ever-expanding obligations.
On the 25-30 salary increment, ASUU berated the commissioner for not distinguishing between ongoing minimum wage negotiations and the ASUU/FG September negotiations
He said: “ASUU/FG salary negotiations headed by late Professor Nimi Briggs, are different from current wage negotiations. All we are saying is to increase funding of UMYU and implement a new salary award’’
The Nation recalled that the commissioner had in his briefing stated the current monthly overhead of N7 million for Umaru Musa Yar’adua was inherited from the previous administration of the state and that the present administration did not reduce the overhead for Umaru Musa Yar’adua University or any other institution in the State.
He earlier said: “The administration received no complaints or requests to increase the University’s monthly overhead. Therefore, the Union is raising concerns about the reduced and inadequate overhead, which the University management should address.”
The Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) University of Abuja chapter, Prof Sylvanus Ugoh has said the union was hopeful of a quick resolution of the ongoing strike following the exit of the former Vice – Chancellor of the institution, Prof Abdulrasheed Na’Allah on Monday.
Ugoh said the strike, which entered 61 days on Monday, would continue until the new management called the union for a peace meeting.
The strike by the university teachers has paralysed academic activities at the institution.
The UniAbuja ASUU has been on strike since May, 2024 over five key issues which included: the non-conduct of election for deans of faculties; the alleged denial of full share to ASUU in the institution’s microfinance bank; the recruitment of staff without approval of a regular governing council, and the advertorial for the position of a vice chancellor without a council.
On Monday, Na’Allah bowed out as VC of the university after completing a single tenure of five years.
Na’Allah assumed leadership of the institution on July 1, 2019, and rounded off his tenure on Monday July 1 2024.
He formally handed over the reins to Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi, a distinguished scholar in International Law and the current Deputy Vice – Chancellor, Academic Affairs.
Maikudi will serve as Acting Vice Chancellor pending the appointment of a permanent successor.
Speaking with reporters at the University main campus in Abuja on Monday, Ugoh said: “The exit of the former Vice – chancellor was not one of the reasons we went on strike but it may help the situation because these are administrative issues the outgone vice – chancellor failed to handle. These are administrative issues in a normal university situation that we ought not to talk about.
“But with proper planning, the current administration could handle some of these issues. These are issues any well – meaning vice – chancellor can solve in one day.
“This is the 61 day (Monday) of the strike and I can tell you that nothing meaningful has been done. If we were in a normal programme by now we would have written our exams.
“Anytime ASUU is in a struggle we attend meetings if we are invited. So if the new administration invites us for discussions we will be there to discuss. I think the most appropriate thing to do is for the new administration to call the agitating union and find out what the problem is.”
The threat to shut down public universities by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the Joint Action Committee of Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and
Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), is a multiple
whammy that all stakeholders must take necessary steps to avoid. We therefore urge the Labour unions to withdraw their threats, and the federal and state governments to dialogue with each union over its demands, to avoid another strike in our public tertiary institutions.
We note that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration had promised to do all that is necessary to avoid the rampant strike in our universities, and so far the government has substantially kept to its promise. The most recent action was the quick response of the Federal Government to the controversies surrounding the constitution of the universities’ governing councils. But, for state universities, ASUU alleges that they have ignored their demand to reconstitute their governing councils, and that forms one of the grievances of the union, for which they have threatened strike.
According to the Zonal Coordinator, ASUU, Benin Zone, Prof Monday Igbafen, “while the Federal Government has hastily reconstituted controversial governing councils of federal universities after 11 months of their illegal dissolution, some state governments have remained adamant to the contrary. The absence of governing councils in the universities has led to unthinkable aberrations, with the introduction of obnoxious policies that are antithetical to university culture.”
We urge the state governments to reconstitute the governing councils where they don’t exist.
On their own part, the NASU and SSANU, in a letter to the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, also threatened industrial action. The unions said: “The deafening silence of government and failure to pay the withheld salaries is creating a high level of agitation and contentions among our members in the universities and inter-university centres such that we can no longer guarantee industrial peace and harmony on university campuses”.
While we cannot hold court for the federal and state governments or the ASUU, NASU and SSANU over the threat to industrial peace, we appeal to the Labour unions, on behalf of the Nigerian
students, to sheath their swords. We note that the minister has met with the leadership of ASUU, led by Prof Emmanuel Osodoke, over the pending issues. The ASUU President confirmed that “we had discussions on all the issues that we previously presented to the government, and we have received some responses from the government officials”.
The minister should also dialogue with NASU and SSANU, to find solutions to the issues they have raised. But the unions in our universities must also understand that the answers to the many problems confronting the universities cannot be solved by resort to incessant strike. Strike should only be the last resort. The penchant to resort to strike to force the government to accept conditions it cannot fulfil in the long run, does not help any party in the dispute.
We urge all stakeholders to isolate the universities from incessant industrial actions, as they affect the quality of the graduates they produce. In a highly competitive global environment, our university products must be able to compete with their peers across the world. We cannot be producing mediocre graduates and hope to compete with the best across the world.
The university stakeholders know that it is ‘garbage in, garbage out’. If the students and teachers are at home instead of in the classes and at their research tables, they can only produce mediocre products. And this is not good for the country.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi State, yesterday staged a peaceful protest, urging President Bola Tinubu to implement the Prof. Nimi Briggs recommendation on renegotiating salaries for academic staff of federal universities.
The protesting members marched from their secretariat in the Yelwa campus to the main gate, holding placards with various inscriptions to draw attention to their plight over the years.
Chairman Comrade Ibrahim Inuwa said non-implementation of the agreement has implications, especially by denying academics a wage consistent with current economic realities, continued poor funding of universities, and respect for academic freedom.
Inuwa lamented that ASUU members have remained on the same salary scale for 15 years, with all efforts at renegotiation failing, thereby leaving them stagnant. He explained that the demand for renegotiation of the pay package is anchored on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 98, which provides for the principle of collective bargaining.
He said: “Following the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement, it was stipulated that the agreement would be reviewed every three years. However, the union has been without a renegotiated agreement in the past 15 years.
“But after much effort and pressure on the government, a renegotiation committee was set up under the chairmanship of Wale Babalakin in 2017. However, this committee failed to conclude its assignment within the agreed time.
“Two other committees, headed by Prof. Munzali Jibrin and the late Emeritus Prof. Nimi Briggs, negotiated and produced draft agreements, but the process was halted before finalising the reviewed agreement. Since 2021, the document has remained in draft form.”
The ASUU-LASUSTECH also supported the national directive, demanding that the Federal Government complies with the union’s demands.
At a news conference at the Ikorodu campus, the union reiterated its solidarity with the national body on critical issues, decrying the Federal Government’s insensitivity to its longstanding demands, including funding for university revitalisation, infrastructure upgrade among others.
The Chairman, Tayo Okulaja, also highlighted grievances over delayed salaries and discrepancies in remuneration structure.
“The implementation of IPPIS has exacerbated issues, denying due allowances and affecting sabbatical arrangements,” Okulaja added.
He also assured students that strike actions are for their welfare and academic advancement.
Despite the Tinubu Administration’s commitment to prioritising the education sector, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a three-week ultimatum to the Federal Government over its outstanding demands. BOLA OLAJUWON and DAMOLA KOLA-DARE highlight some of the administration’s records amid parents’ and students’ anxiety over the issue.
Tinubu’s education policy
President Bola Tinubu had during presidential election campaigns, during and after his inauguration reiterated the commitment of his administration to prioritising education for national human capital development. He also pledged that his administration would spare no effort in ensuring Nigerian children have a solid foundation for realising their dreams. The president also reassured the nation of his commitment to providing a safe and secure learning environment for children, while enhancing the quality of education.
To show his commitment to concretising his pledges, President Tinubu approved more autonomy to federal universities, signed the students loan law and its amendment.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio yesterday confirmed that more than 30,000 students of tertiary institutions have been selected to benefit from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) introduced by the President.
Akpabio, who said this on Tuesday in a statement during his visit to the Nigeria Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in Abuja, stated that the Student Loan Law was one of the most significant pieces of legislation passed by the 10th Assembly.
He explained that the bill allows underprivileged children to pursue higher education without the burden of financial constraints, adding that it made the legislature most appealing to him as the Senate President.
“One of the most important bills for the 10th Assembly was the bill sent to us by President Tinubu. The Student Loan Bill enables vulnerable Nigerian students and the less privileged to obtain higher education.
“And as I speak to you now, over 30,000 Nigerian students have already been selected to benefit from that scheme. That is one of the bills I will say appeal to me the most,” Akpabio said.
The president also approved three frameworks to enhance Nigeria’s educational sector.
The framework would comprehensively overhaul the education sector to improve learning and skill development, increase enrolment and ensure the academic security of the nation’s children.
The approved policies are captured as DOTS, an acronym for Data Repository, Out-of-School Children Education, Teacher Training & Development, and Skill Development & Acquisition.
The DOTS policy has become germane owing to a paucity of coordinated, verifiable, and authentic data on all aspects of the education sector in the country, which is critical for planning.
Therefore, the President approved the conduct of an extensive census of the following: All schools in Nigeria from primary to tertiary level, their conditions and live-in facilities, proximity to one another, educational infrastructure, etc. Also included is the census of all teachers in Nigeria, their qualifications, training support received; all pupils and students in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, gender, exam grades, among others. The information, the Presidency stated, will guide federal and state interventions in educational development as well as overall support.
The Federal Ministry of Education recently released names of nominees for Chairmen of Councils, Pro-Chancellors, and members of the Boards and Councils of Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education.
President Tinubu also launched a campaign to promote inclusive education, skill development, and gender equity. The campaign tagged #WeAreEqual is an initiative of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD). The campaign had been launched in 15 African countries in different, focusing on health, education, economic empowerment, and gender-based violence.
The Nigerian component of the programme is tagged, ‘Education as a Powerful Tool for Change’, championed by the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.
Budgetary and special financial allocations
The President also proposed increased 2024 budget allocations for the education sector when compared to the sector’s allocation in the previous year. A review of the budget indicates that the education sector got N1.54 trillion, representing 6.39 per cent of the total budget.
He had also approved N683,429,268 billion as the 2024 Intervention Funds for public tertiary education institutions in the country.
The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, who disclosed this, noted that 90.75% was budgeted for direct disbursement and 8.94% for some designated special projects. A stabilisation of 2.27% was allowed to enable the Fund respond to emerging issues.
He also disclosed that each university would get N1,906,944,930.00, each polytechnic N1,165,355,235.00 while each College of Education shall get N1,398,426,282.00.
About ₦8 billion was approved for provision of Central Multipurpose Laboratories in some universities in the country. The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, also confirmed that ₦5 billion was approved for the National Research Fund (NRF).
This, the minister noted, was indeed a strong demonstration of the president’s commitment to the promotion of research activities in tertiary institutions to support national development.
ASUU: varsities collapsing, need urgent resuscitation
But, despite government’s policy initiatives in the education sector, especially universities, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), in a paid advertisement, called the president out over a number of unresolved issues allegedly hampering smooth operations and stability of public universities in the country. ASUU called for urgent resuscitation of the university system before it breaks down totally.
According to ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke, universities are collapsing due to government’s failure to address outstanding issues with the union.
The letter to Mr. President reads: “These issues are not new; they have remained the core concerns in our union’s engagements with the government since 2009. Our desire here is to formally appeal for your kind intervention, which we believe will assist in satisfactorily resolving these lingering issues for the ultimate health, growth, and stability of the universities. It was this desire for amicable resolution of these issues that informed our earlier request for an appointment vide a letter dated July 10, 2023.
“Your Excellency, you would recall that Nigerian academics were compelled to embark on a nationwide strike action on February 14, 2022, when all entreaties to government to resolve the issues in contention fell on deaf ears. This action, which lasted till October of the same year, had dire consequences.
“Our union was forced into the strike action due to the government’s failure to fully implement negotiated Memoranda of Understanding/ Action (MOUs/ MOAs) arising from the FGN/ ASUU Agreement of 2009, between 2013 and 2020.
“Specifically, the government’s refusal to implement the Memorandum of Action (MOA) of December 2020 provoked the 2022 strike action across the Nigerian public universities. Sadly, to date, a number of issues in the 2020 MOA remain unresolved.”
Some of the issues listed by ASUU include: Concussion of the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU Agreement based on Nimi Briggs Committee’s draft agreement of 2021; release of withheld three-and-half months salaries on account of the 2022 strike action; release of unpaid salaries of staff on sabbatical, part-time and adjunct appointments owing to the application of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (1PPIS); release of outstanding third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions; funding for revitalisation of public universities (partly captured in 2023 Federal Government’s Budget); and earned Academic Allowances (EAA) (partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government’s Budget).
Others are: Proliferation of universities by Federal and state governments; implementation of the reports of visitation panels to universities; illegal dissolution of Governing Councils; and implementation of University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) in place of IPPIS.
ASUU noted that it has been engaging the agents of government – particularly the Federal Ministry of Education and Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment – on the above-listed and related issues in the last one year without much to show for its efforts.
It added that it was using the medium to formally request for the president’s intervention in finding workable solutions to the crisis to prevent public universities from being plunged into another round of avoidable crisis. It, therefore, issued a three-week ultimatum to the Federal Government over the outstanding demands.
Also, ASUU branches in the universities on Tuesday during rallies and media conferences called on stakeholders to prevail on Federal and state governments to address outstanding issues with the union to avert unnecessary industrial crisis in an already weak system.
Specifically, ASUU Chairman at the Emmanuel Alayande University of Education (EAUED), Oyo State, Dr. Michael Ojo, during a rally, urged President Tinubu to immediately approve release of funds for the continuation of critical projects in universities campuses across the country. He also demanded full payment of entitlements of ASUU members, saying the ‘no work, no pay’ policy introduced by government was a breach of International Labour Law.
He said: “The union condemns the illegal dissolution of Governing Councils in universities, and appeals to government at all levels to allow universities to operate in accordance with the law establishing them.”
The ASUU in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, also kicked against the government’s failure to honour the 2021 agreement.
Its members, during a peaceful protest, warned that another nationwide strike is imminent except urgent attention is given to the 2021 draft agreement. According to its chairman, Prof. Anthony Odiwe, the government is yet to address many of the issues that force the union to embark on strike.
The Chairman of the ASUU, Federal University Lokoja Chapter, Dr. Joshua Silas, on Tuesday during a protest by members of the union at FUL campus in Felele, Lokoja, urged the Federal Government to implement the renegotiations of 2009 agreements reached with the national ASUU to prevent the resumption of the suspended industrial action.
Also, the Chairperson of the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna chapter of the ASUU, Prof. Gbolahan Bolarin, asked President Tinubu to evaluate and sign the renegotiated agreement between ASUU and the Federal Government to restore efficiency in the Nigerian university system. He stated this in Minna after a peaceful protest by the union to express their grievance over unpaid salaries and allowances.
The University of Ilọrin chapter of ASUU described the President Tinubu-led administration as the worst in anti-labour policies.
NANS lauds Tinubu’s education reforms, urges Fed Govt, ASUU to shift ground
However, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has lauded President Tinubu’s education reforms, which it said led to the appointment of over 200 scholars, including 100 professors, to oversee the country’s tertiary education institutions.
In a statement by its President, Comrade Pedro Chibuzor Obi, NANS expressed its appreciation to President Tinubu for promptly addressing the long-standing issues within the education sector. The association noted that the appointment of seasoned academicians, technocrats, and politicians to the governing councils of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education would help fast-track the development of the sector. NANS also appealed to the newly appointed council members to stand for justice and not encourage victimisation of students by institution management.
The association called on ASUU to cooperate with the new council members and the President’s genuine concern for the development of the education sector.
NANS said: “Nigerian students are immensely grateful to President Tinubu for taking prompt action to appoint worthy academicians, technocrats, and experienced politicians into the councils, which they believe have the potentials to help fast-track the rapid development of Nigerian academic institutions.
But, NANS has also appealed to the ASUU to find common grounds to prevent disruption in the academic calendar. The NANS Senate President, Mr. Henry Okunomo, who stated this on Sunday in Akure at a news briefing, said the association is appealing to the Federal Government to take immediate and decisive action to prevent disruption in the educational sector by preventing any strike. He also urged President Tinubu to allocate sufficient resources to the educational sector to improve infrastructure, provide necessary teaching aids, and ensure timely payment of salaries and benefits to lecturers. He said that establishing a continuous platform for dialogue between the government, university administrators and lecturers to address grievances before escalation was important to prevent academic disruption. “We are all acutely aware of the recurring disruptions caused by strikes in our universities. “These strikes, often as a result of unresolved issues between university lecturers and the government, have profound and far-reaching consequences on the educational journey of countless students.“It is with a heavy heart and a determined spirit that I address this pressing issue today, appealing to the government to take immediate and effective steps to prevent our lecturers resorting to another strike. “We, the students, are the primary stakeholders in this situation. Our voices, hopes, and futures hang in the balance. “We are counting on the government to act decisively and with a sense of urgency to prevent the devastating impact of another strike.
NAPTAN appeals to the Fed Govt to honour agreements with ASUU
The Deputy National President National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, in a telephone chat with The Nation, appealed to the Federal Government to honour whatever agreement is on ground with the ASUU. Ogunbanjo noted that the nation has had enough of industrial action, and as such, government should have mercy on the union for the sake of the students. He said: “We plead with government to try to honour whatever agreement they have with the union. They have been at it for too long. Then government should have mercy on them and forget the ‘No work no pay’ rule and pay them whatever is due to them. “If they embark on another strike, it will affect parents and of course the students. It won’t augur well for our educational system as a four-year course would elongate. If government honours the agreement with them, let’s see if ASUU would misbehave. Then if it does, the entire nation would go against them. Government should forgive them and pay whatever is remaining from the nine months strike of 2022.”
Govt’s response
Federal Minister of State for Education Tanko Sununu confirmed to The Nation that the ministry top officials and ASUU leadership met yesterday and agreed to set up a committee to look into the lecturers’ demands.
He also confirmed that the committee will after four weeks summit its report to the government for consideration. Sununu added that ASUU also agreed to brief its members on the deliberations at the meeting.
The Federal Government moved yesterday to avert another round of strikes by university teachers by setting up a committee to address ‘’unresolved’’ demands of their umbrella body, the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The constitution of the committee which has two to four weeks to turn in its report came barely 48 hours after ASUU appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to wade into the“unresolved issues which are not new.”
Minister of State for Education Tanko Sununu told The Nation that the panel was set up after a two-hour meeting between a Federal Government team and ASUU leadership in Abuja yesterday.
Education Minister Tahir Mamman and Sununu led other top federal government officials to the meeting while ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke headed the union’s team.
Sununu said: “We have reached a certain understanding with ASUU; we agreed to set up a committee with a timeline of two- to four weeks within which we are going to reconvene and look at all the issues.
“ASUU also agreed to go and brief their members on the outcome (of the meeting) while the committee commenced work.
“ASUU is going to forward some documents to the ministry so we are going to take a look at them.”
Education Minister Mamman said he was optimistic that the problems bedeviling the education sector would be overcome.
He said: “We had a very good meeting, a very productive one. We’ve discussed progress on how to ensure that the system works well and lots of the issues we talked about are those that we inherited and some on-going.
“We discussed them all without exception and we have a consensus on the way forward.
“A lot of consultations will still continue on some information we don’t have, which is beyond the scope of the ministry and which will require us to connect with our colleagues in other ministries.
“But, the most important thing is that we had a very good meeting and agreed to continue with the consultations to overcome the problems bedeviling education in Nigeria,”
Attempts by The Nation to get Osodeke’s reaction to the announcement by Sununu on the setting up of the committee were futile. He first picked up his call when contacted and asked our reporters to call him back. As of press time yesterday, he had yet to do so.
Osodeke had told reporters after the meeting that he was hopeful that the government would follow up on what had been agreed on.
“We have discussions on all the issues and we have given assignments to some people to look at, and agree on the way forward.”
• OAU ASUU kicks against failure to honour 2021 agreement
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called for urgent resuscitation of the university system before it breaks down totally.
According to ASUU, universities are collapsing due to government’s failure to address outstanding issues with the union.
It called on stakeholders to prevail on Federal and state governments to address outstanding issues with the union to avert unnecessary industrial crisis in an already weak system.
ASUU Chairman at the Emmanuel Alayande University of Education (EAUED), Oyo State, Dr. Michael Ojo, during a rally, said outstanding issues with the government include release of funds for the revatalisation of public universities, illegal dissolution of Governing Councils in federal and state varsities, and release of balance of three and half months withheld salaries of union members.
He added: “Others are release of unpaid salaries of adjunct staff and staff on sabbatical capacity, unpaid arrears of earned academic allowance, renegotiation of FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement, proliferation of universities, and outstanding salaries and promotion arrears of members among others.”
Ojo urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately approve release of funds for the continuation of critical projects in universities campuses across the country. He also demanded full payment of all entitlements of ASUU members, saying the ‘no work, no pay’ policy introduced by government was a breach of International Labour Law.
He said: “The union condemns the illegal dissolution of Governing Councils in universities, and appeals to government at all levels to allow universities to operate in accordance with the law establishing them.
“We appeal to government to pay witheld salaries of our members who are on sabbatical or adjunct capacity and replace IPPIS with UTAS. The union is not happy with the silence of the federal and state governments on issues that have caused many avoidable deaths.
“The union urges President Tinubu to set in motion process that will lead to a review and signing of the Jimi Briggs-led renegotiated draft agreement as a mark of goodwill and assured hope for Nigerians public universities.”
The ASUU in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has kicked against the government’s failure to honour the 2021 agreement.
Members, during a peaceful protest on campus yesterday, warned that another nationwide strike is imminent except urgent attention is given to the 2021 draft agreement.
According to the Chairman, Prof. Anthony Odiwe, the government is yet to address many of the issues that force the union to embark on strike.
He also said the union, in the last one year, has not officially met with President Tinubu since he became the president.
“The union is very open and hopeful that President Tinubu would be favourably disposed in addressing the issues, especially with his posture and utterances, strikes will be a thing of the past in our system.”
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised the alarm that the university system across the nation is gradually collapsing due to the failure of the government to address outstanding issues with the union, hence, the need for urgent resuscitation before it breaks down totally.
ASUU called on concerned stakeholders to prevail on federal and state governments to address outstanding issues with the union to avert unnecessary industrial crises in the already weak University system across the country.
Speaking with newsmen at a rally held at Emmanuel Alayande University of Education (EAUED), Oyo, EAUED ASUU chairman, Michael Ojo said outstanding issues of the union with the government include the release of funds for the revitalisation of public Universities, illegal dissolution of Governing Councils in federal and state Universities, and release of the balance of three and half months withheld salaries of members of the union.
Others include the release of unpaid salaries of adjunct staff and staff on sabbatical capacity, unpaid arrears of earned academic allowance, renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement, the proliferation of Universities, and outstanding salaries and promotion areas of its members among others.
Ojo urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately approve the release of funds for the continuation of critical projects on university campuses across the nation.
He demanded for full payment of all entitlements of ASUU members, saying no work, no pay policy introduced by the government was a breach of International Labour Law.
He said: “The union condemned the illegal dissolution of Governing Councils in Universities, I appealed to the government at all levels to allow Universities to operate in accordance with the law establishing them.
“ASUU appealed to the federal government to pay withheld salaries of its members who are on sabbatical or adjunct capacity and replace IPPIS with UTAS.
“The union is not happy with the silence of the federal and state governments on an issue that has led to the avoidable death of many of its members across campuses.
“The union urged President Tinubu to set in motion process that will lead to review and signing of Jimi Briggs-led renegotiated draft agreement as a mark of goodwill and assured hope for Nigerians public Universities.”
He urged President Tinubu to refrain from further proliferation of Universities and refocus the system, saying Universities should be adequately empowered to address challenges confronting the nation to stand with their peers anywhere in the world.
“EAUED ASUU called on federal and state governments to rise to their responsibility of adequate funding of Universities to avoid emergent rot and decay that are becoming more noticeable in public Universities despite TETFund intervention.
“EAUCED ASUU urged Governor Seyi Makinde to release the money to defray all the university’s indebtedness and address payment of 25/35 percent salary award to its members.”
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said over 400 members have been sacked in the last 10 or 15 years for fighting for their rights and interest of the university system.
The intimidation and persecution, ASUU said, are common in state-owned institutions as governors, who are visitors to these institutions, don’t tolerate opposing views and policies.
Past ASUU Chairman of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter, Dr. Dele Ashiru, stated this during a Leadership Training Workshop for new union executives at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.
Participants were exposed to topics, such as, qualities required of leaders of the union for effective performance and principles of collective bargaining and negotiation.
According to Ashiru, the union has been standing against persecution and would continue to fight for the genuine interest of its members. He stressed that the union would not tolerate any unethical behaviour from any of its members.
He said: “ASUU has been supporting members who were persecuted for fighting for the interest of the union and for betterment of the university system, and will continue to do this if it is in collective interest.
“On the other hand, the union has sanctioned many erring members who engaged in unethical practices and will still do so if there are confirmed infractions. ASUU has zero tolerance for unethical practices and will continue to emphasise this to its members. The union does not tolerate indiscipline of any sort.”
Citing the case of members at the Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, where 100 of them were sacked, and in Kogi State, where similar experience happened, Ashiru lamented that the deliberate persecution of union members has affected the morale of lecturers, adding that the union often clashes with management of institutions over unpalatable policies which oftentimes have political colouration.
Acting branch Chairman of ASUU-OOU, Dr. Wasiu Olooto, said the workshop was organised to educate the executives on what is expected of them in discharging their roles and to know their limitations as well.
The union has also called on President Bola Tinubu to sign the Nimi Briggs renegotiated draft as a sign of goodwill and assured hope for public universities.
It said repositioning public universities for global recognition will remain a mirage without the Federal Government implementing the Nimi Briggs report.
At a joint news conference by the Usman Danfodiyo University (UDUS) and Sokoto State University chapters, the union highlighted renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, withheld salary, earned academic allowances, illegal dissolution of governing councils, among other critical aspects, as issues disturbing public universities.
The conference was addressed by the branch chairmen Muhammad Mustapha (UDUS) and Saidu Abubakar (Sokoto State University).
They said: “We are dismayed by the Federal Government’s refusal to implement the already concluded Nimi Briggs report on the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement. Also is implementation of the wage award, completion of the Sokoto State University Staff quarters, promotion arrears, underfunding of universities and deepening socio-economic crisis which has worsened the security situation in the country.”
The duo said nothing was being done to properly fund universities to be able to address the shortage of lecture rooms and theatres, inadequate hostel and offices.
The union also faulted refusal of government officials to obey the presidential directive to remove universities from the IPPIS platform.
“To be our chagrin, universities are still being paid through IPPIS platform which ASUU has consistently rejected because it erodes the autonomy of our universities. We are also worried that some elements inside and outside government may be planning to undermine the government’s directive in view of the ambiguity that currently surrounds the transition out of IPPIS.
“It is also sad that government has consistently deprived our members of their promotion arrears, particularly those on the professional cadre from 2018 to 2024. Also, in the aftermath of the 2022 struggle, the government claimed to have budgeted N170 billion which, of which N120 billion, to our understanding, was to address part of the outstanding Needs Assessment Intervention Fund, while the balance would go into an paying one of the agreed tranches of the EAA. Sadly, the government has not released any fund to the universities based on the understanding.
“Hitherto, ASUU remains resolute on its patriotic mission to reposition the university system in particular and educational system in general for a transformed nation.”
