The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ASUU

LAUTECH: Real progress being made to ensure resumption, says Registrar

The Registrar of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology ( LAUTECH ), Ogbomoso, Mr. J. A. Agboola, assured that the school management and the academic staff union are working together to ensure the resumption of academic activities in the university as already scheduled.

According to him, “real progress” is being made.

“All the dates, by the grace of God, will stand,” he said, in reaction to a statement by the academic staff union vowing not to resume despite the management announcement that the university would reopen on Friday, September 15.

The Nation had reported on Thursday that the academic staff union of LAUTECH is insisting on continuing their strike, even after meeting with the university management on Monday, September 18, until they receive the six months salary arrears promised them by the owner-state governments of Oyo and Osun.

“Nothing has been offered to us,” Dr. Ade Adejumo, ASUU zonal coordinator, had said. “We are still where we were when we started the action.”

However, in his interview with The Nation on Friday, Mr. Agboola maintained that the management and unions are making headway in restoring normalcy in the university.

He also said that the management and the unions are working together, adding it is “all for the good of the system.”

When asked about the progress being made with the N4 billion government funding Senate President Bukola Saraki promised in July, and N9 million already crowdfunded by the FundLAUTECH campaign launched in June by some alumni of the university, Mr. Agboola declined to comment, explaining that it was outside his purview.

September 23, 2017
LAUTECH: We are not resuming yet – ASUU

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology ( LAUTECH ) , Ogbomoso, and the school management have remained at loggerheads, despite the meeting held by the two parties on Monday to end the prolonged strike.

The union’s Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Ade Adejumo, told The Nation on Wednesday that the union was yet to receive the six months salary arrears promised by the two owner-state governments — Oyo and Osun — as their means of resolving the strike.

“Nothing has been offered to us,” Dr. Adejumo said. “We are still where we were when we started the action.”

The school management on Thursday declared the university reopened, asking students to resume for academic activities on Monday, September 18; but the academic staff union promptly denounced the announcement, stating that none of their issues had been addressed and that “strike is still in full force.”

This prompted the school management to invite the academic staff union for a meeting on Monday to “discuss issues related to the reopening of the university.” The management also explained that “the slight delay” in reaching out to the union “was inadvertent as it was occasioned by the pressure of work.”

However, the meeting was not productive, as the academic staff union maintained their stand regarding the strike. “We are not coming back,” said Dr. Adejumo.

He pointed out in a separate interview that the union would not be open to dialogue unless their agitations are taken care of. Their agitation, he said, goes beyond salaries. “We need a sustainable way to run the institution.”

Dr. Adejumo advised parents not to send their children back to school.

“Do not let the government deceive you into sending your children back to school,” he said.

The Nation reached out Lekan Fadeyi, the PRO of LAUTECH, who said he was not at the meeting with the academic staff union and referred our reporter to the University Registrar.

The Registrar, however, could not be immediately reached.

September 21, 2017
UI ASUU directs members to resume Thursday

The University of Ibadan Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Wednesday directed members of the union to begin full academic activities as from Thursday.

The directive was given at a Congress of the union held at the Faculty of Arts of the institution and presided over by the chairman, Dr. Deji Omole.

Omole said the development would formally be communicated to the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Idowu Olayinka.

“ASUU has shown enough understanding with government. Our union should not be blamed if the Federal Government reneges on the signed Memorandum of Action (MoA),” he said.

Omole called on the university management to ensure a conducive teaching, research and learning environment for the continuation of the first semester examinations and commencement of the second semester of 2016/2017 session.

“Members are to return to the classrooms, start supervision of students although on credit as well as commence attendance of statutory meetings,” he said.

According to Omole, since the federal government has agreed it was at fault, the new trust must not meet disappointment by the October implementation date.

“With regards to our new MoA, any attempt by government to renege on implementation of the agreements by October will be resisted and the consequences are better imagined than experienced,” he added.

NAN

September 20, 2017
NANS, parents hail ASUU, Fed Govt over strike suspension

THE National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and parents have hailed the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for reaching an agreement to suspend the strike which kept many university students at home for 36 days.

NANS President Chinonso Obasi, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said suspending the strike had shown dialogue was the best way to settle industrial disputes.

It urged the Federal Government to be responsibility and endeavour to comply with the Memorandum of Action reached with the union to avert further strike.

The union on Monday suspended its five-week old strike following a meeting with the Federal Government’s delegation.

ASUU President Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi had said that the union decided to conditionally suspend the strike in view of the timeline of October 2017 for the implementation of the signed agreement.

But, Obasi said suspending the strike was a welcome development that would bring relieve to the students and their parents.

He called on the Federal Government to demonstrate a sense of responsibility and endeavour to comply with the agreements reached to avert another level of face-off with ASUU in the near future.

“The falling standard of education and its effect on the nation’s future human capital is regrettable.

“The Federal Government should prioritise investment in the education sector for the benefit of the nation,” he said.

He added that students were always at the receiving end of strikes, hence the need for ASUU to always consult students’ leadership as critical stakeholders before declaring or proceeding on strike in the future.

Also, university students have expressed happiness over ASUU’s decision to call off its strike.

Some of the students told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano yesterday that they were happy to hear that the union had called off the five-week old strike.

Al’Amin Lawal, a 200 level student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said he was short of words to express his happiness over the new development.

Musa Bala, a 300 level student of Bayero University Kano, described ASUU decision as a welcome development, as students would now resume normal academic activities.

Similarly, most of the parents, who spoke to NAN on the issue, expressed gratitude to God for making it possible for the government and lecturers to reach an agreement on the strike.

They, however, advised the lecturers to always go for dialogue in resolving dispute rather than resorting to total strike.

ASUU President Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, on Monday in Minna directed university lecturers to resume work yesterday.

September 20, 2017
Our Girls; Foreign reserves; Potholes

Our girls are still missing since April 15, 2014. Work for their release.

Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) calls off strike. Was it necessary? Could it have been avoided by wide and earlier dialogue? Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is still on strike and other health workers are planning to join.

Hurray, Nigeria’s foreign reserves are over $33b. This government must realise that it cannot hope to overcome the very fresh stigma and ill-informed bitterness caused by the post-Jonathan economic collapse at the next election without major appreciation of the naira against the dollar. This can be achieved only if the government does not stop increasing our funds until we have $50b to foreign reserves, just $1b/month to really back up the naira. It will be aided by a fully functional refinery sector for 100% local content, to bring to zero the imported petroleum products and associated foreign exchange drain. No one talks of the profits accruing to Nigeria from the sale abroad of all the plastic and petrochemical by-products of petroleum refining –amounting to a huge multi-billion dollar scam over the years against Nigeria. We have had better power supply this last week reducing our expenditure and consumption on petrol and diesel. Potholes require to be filled nationwide by federal, state and LGAs to quickly ease the travel plight of Nigerians as a pre-election strategy and give an impression of caring for the masses.

Again, 50 traders drown in River Niger. How much does a life-jacket made from the normal life-jacket or from empty plastic bottles cost?

Another examination result out for governments to assess their services as teachers to the youth. Youth failure is unfortunately caused more by teacher failure than student failure i.e. bad teaching. Matters are not helped by the misperception and often the actual practice of recruiting poor quality material to teacher training colleges as exemplified by the cut-off of 100 for teacher training colleges. This is to be contrasted with Nordic countries where PhD graduates teach the youngsters of those nations and teachers are paid well and promptly and highly motivated. Those countries know that the youth are the most powerful weapon in the development arsenal of any nation. In our country, youth is seen as a drain on resources which the leadership prefers to appropriate for itself by scams and schemes leaving the youth to fend for itself.

All Nigerians are paying dearly for bribery at political party and personal politician level – a consequence of corruption far beyond the N400b National Bureau of Statistics corruption price tag. Bribes are got by forcing bleeding families, individuals, businesses and organisations to divert needed chunks of their funds which should have been spent on self-development and productive ventures. Stopping corruption reduces the cost of living and business. To achieve this Nigeria and Nigerians have to say ‘No to Bribery, Financial Crimes and Morally Corrupt Decision-making’. They must embrace efficiency, transparency and a high level of personal, public, corporate, professional and uniform morality. The call for restructuring is a strident call to reverse corrupt morally reprehensible unjust decisions of past governments so that a ‘Just True Federal System’ can emerge ASAP.

One day, even in Nigeria, children will not hold their hands out in the classic ‘Demand for a Bribe’ when asked in their classroom to imitate a politician, policeman or FRSC official. Children are not only traumatized by the child abuse of being forced to be victims of child trafficking, to be child soldiers or petty thieves in the market. Witnessing bribery and corruption are also part of nationwide child abuse inflicted so openly by Nigerian society daily on children in public and private transport or walking on their way to school or market. Just as every child has witnessed an okada crash, so every child has witnessed ‘Uniform Bribery and Corruption’. They say ‘Where there is a uniform, corruption is not far behind’ or worse. Imagine the huge child psychology problem this has created in young minds. Meanwhile in class you want them to learn morals and social studies. From whom and from where?

N400b would have built 80-100,000 homes at N4-5m each. In contrast it would have bought only 800 houses at the high end N500m each. In other words, the use of money is important and money spent by you and I on bribes would be better spent by you and me on our perceived needs and not spent by someone who happens to occupy a post he uses to extort bribes.

Have you heard the argument that ‘Granted it is a bribe but the money given to a deliberately difficult gateman, the nasty obstructing secretary in Oga-at-the-top’s office, a trigger-happy checkpoint police man, a rude JAMB office clerk, a naughty dismissive nurse, or a ‘nearly not on seat’ file-signing civil servant to help you get your rights may trickle to family, friend and community’? The bribe money may therefore help the ‘needy’ remain in circulation and substitute for salaries and pensions. In short though such bribes actually increase the cost of doing business, the money still reaches the common pool – the local money market. But is that ‘social service’ the job of the money in your pocket? Are you their NGO to provide for their needs and greed when you have your own rights to your money and commitments? No!

NB: Nigerians discover a new generation of untainted ‘I LOVE NIGERIA’ KNOWLEDGEABLE CANDIDATES for 2019.

September 20, 2017
NANS urges FG to honour agreement with ASUU

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Tuesday commended the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for reaching an agreement to suspend the strike by the union.

NANS urged the federal government to be responsible and endeavour to comply with the Memorandum of Action reached with the union to avert further strike.

The factional president of NANS, Mr. Chinonso Obasi, said this in a statement in Abuja.

Obasi said dialogue remained the best option in conflict resolution.

He said: “Dialogue is always the panacea for crisis resolution and the suspension of the strike is a welcome development that will bring relief not only to the students but also their parents as students can now return to school and continue with their studies.

“NANS however believes that just as ASUU has demonstrated responsibility, faith and understanding, the federal government should also demonstrate a sense of responsibility and endeavour to comply with the understanding reached to avert another level of face off with ASUU in the near future.

“The federal government should prioritise investment in the educational sector for the benefit of Nigeria. A situation where students are compelled to spend longer time than necessary for a particular course of study on a account of incessant strikes is a serious setback for the country.

“The students are always at the receiving end whenever strikes are declared. ASUU should always consult with NANS leadership as critical stakeholders in the educational sector before declaring or proceeding on strike in the future.”

Obasi lamented the falling standard of education in Nigeria and its effect on the nation’s human capital development.

The president of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, while announcing the “conditional suspension of the strike,” said the action was suspended after the union gave the federal government a deadline of October ending to fulfil its promises.

September 19, 2017
ASUU strike suspension: Students Happy, Unhappy, Indifferent

Mixed reactions by students of tertiary institutions have greeted the suspension of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The five weeks old strike was suspended on September 18 by the union after a meeting with federal government officials.

The reactions ranged from those who were unhappy about the suspension to those who can’t wait for classes to resume.

ASUU said the strike which started on August 13 would be suspended till October to give room for the federal government to fulfill its pledges.

Below are some of their reactions

I’m totally indifferent about the strike, they can call it off or continue. I just don’t care. Whatever they decide is fine with me.

Sarah Anderson, Lagos state university

I’m not happy that this strike was suspended.I had plans of working hard to earn my tuition during this period. All those plans have crashed now.

Victory Demonday
Abia State university

I’m extremely happy that the strike was suspended,because if they had not suspended the strike, our academic pace would have been reduced in respect to the university’s academic calendar.

Ibukun Dennis
University of Lagos

The strike is just suspended, it will be called off, if the Federal Government goes ahead to implement the agreement reached with ASUU.

But if this doesn’t happen, there’s every chance ASUU might go back to the industrial action.

Ejiofor Ekene
University of Nigeria Nsukka

I’m happy the strike was called off but we don’t have to jubilate yet, because it was only suspended for a month. Probably, we should look forward to embarking on another strike of the federal Government does not meet ASUU’s demand by October.

We all know the way out. The government should meet the union’s demand by paying them so as to prevent them from embarking on further strike

Wunmi
Onabisi onabanjo University

I am not happy, I wanted to work a little before going back to school and now they have spoilt my plan,i think ASUU should continue the strike

Anthony Chimerezie
Ebonyi state university

I’m not really happy because I really don’t want to resume this year . I want to stay back home to get my body system prepared for the stress ahead.

Obiageli Anthony
University of Port Harcourt

I’m happy the strike has been suspended, because I want to spend only four years in school, and graduate with my mates, but I think they should conclude with the federal Government, in order to avoid another strike.

Onwusonye Joy
Michael Okpara university of Agriculture, Umuahia

This suspended strike is a good sign that something would be done about ASUU’s demands by the federal Government and that the strike would not be stretched for long, as opposed to other industrial actions in the past.

Taiwo Shikan
Bayero University, Kano

Compiled

Jennifer Joseph
Ibrahim Hakeem
Izukah Chinonso
Egbu Ijeoma
Olaniyi Olawale
Otufodunrin Gbolahan

September 19, 2017
Five ASUU demands FG must meet
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) suspended its five-week long strike on Monday.

This was after ASUU President Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi told reporters Monday night that they decided to conditionally suspend the strike in view of the timeline of October for the implementation of the signed agreement with the government. The meeting was a long one with the Federal Government delegation, led by Minister of Labour and Employment Dr. Chris Ngige.

Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi assured the public that the union would not hesitate to resume the suspended action should the government renege on the newly signed agreement, which he called Memorandum of Action.

Here are the five demands requested by the Association:
1. Areas of agreement include funding for revitalization of public universities and the issue of Earned Academic Allowances;
2. The issue of University Staff Schools;
3. The implementation of the judgment of the National Industrial Court, National Universities Pension Management Company and guidelines for pension matters for professors;
4. The exemption offered by the government regarding the issue of TSA, which included the issue of grants, endowment funds as well as salary shortfall, which is already being implemented by the government;
5. The union also promised to submit a position paper to the Federal Government on their observation with a view for government to advise state governments.
September 19, 2017
Parents, students hail ASUU for calling off strike

University students have expressed happiness over the decision by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off its strike.

Some of the students told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Tuesday that they were happy to hear that the union had called off the five-week old strike.

Al’Amin Lawal, a 200 level student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said he was short of words to express his happiness over the new development.

“I cannot express my joy since I heard that ASUU had called off the strike because I was about to finish my semester examination when the lecturers commenced the strike,” he said.

He commended the union for the decision, saying it would enable them complete their examinations and move to the next level.

Musa Bala, a 300 level student of Bayero University Kano, described ASUU decision as a welcome development, as students would now resume normal academic activities.

He, however, called on the Federal Government to keep to the agreements reached between it and the lecturers in order not to disrupt academic activities in the universities in future.

“The Federal Government should try as much as possible to keep to the promises made to the lecturers as that will go along way in ensuring uninterrupted academic activities in our universities,” Bala said.

Similarly, most of the parents who spoke to NAN on the issue expressed gratitude to Allah for making it possible for the government and lecturers to reach an agreement on the strike.

They, however, advised the lecturers to always go for dialogue in resolving dispute rather than resorting to total strike.

NAN reports that the ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, on Monday in Minna directed all university lecturers to resume work this Tuesday.

September 19, 2017
ASUU suspends strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended the five weeks old strike.

It directed members to return to the classrooms with immediate effect.

ASUU President Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi told reporters last night after a long meeting with the Federal Government delegation, led by Minister of Labour and Employment Dr. Chris Ngige, that they decided to conditionally suspend the strike in view of the timeline of October for the implementation of the signed agreement with the government.

He said the union would not hesitate to resume the suspended action should the government renege on the newly signed agreement, which he called Memorandum of Action.

He said the agreement is backed by a definite timeline for implementation.

He warned that the government must not deliberately dishonour the agreement, adding that the continuous breach of signed agreement had been responsible for the constant strike in the universities.

Ogunyemi said the new agreement with the government is based on mutual trust between the union and the government, adding that the trust of the union must be respected by the government.

Dr. Ngige said all the grey areas had been sorted out and an agreement reached.

He said both the government and the union agreed on several issues, assuring that the agreement reached would be implemented by the government in line with available resources.

Areas of agreement include funding for revitalisation of public universities and the issue of Earned Academic Allowances, the issue of University Staff Schools and the implementation of the judgment of the National Industrial Court, National Universities Pension Management Company and guidelines for pension matters for professors.

He also said the union agreed to the exemption offered by the government regarding the issue of TSA, which include the issue of grants, endowment fund as well as salary shortfall, which he said is already being implemented by the government.

On the state universities, he said they agreed that the union would submit a position paper to the Federal Government on their observation with a view for government to advise state governments.

September 19, 2017