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Tag: ASUU

  • ASUU protests hit Ile-Ife, Calabar, Osogbo, Ibadan

    ASUU protests hit Ile-Ife, Calabar, Osogbo, Ibadan

    From seminar halls and boardrooms where talks seem to have collapsed, university teachers have moved their battle for better education to the streets.

    But, the police are stopping them from holding rallies and marches to convince the public that their four-month old action is right.

    In Calabar, the police yesterday stopped a planned protest by lecturers of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) and the Cross River University.

    But the lecturers addressed a rally on the UNICAL campus.

    University of Ibadan (UI) lecturers had a town hall meeting to sensitise the people to the strike.

    In Ile-Ife, Osun State, Obafemi Awolowo University lecturers marched on the streets, getting to the palace of the Ooni of Ife. They urged him to pravail on the government to implement the 2009 agreement it signed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), without which the strike would continue.

    President Goodluck Jonathan said during last month’s Presidential Chat that the government cannot fully implement the agreement, especially the financial aspect, because doing so would force a shutdown of other departments.

    The Nigeria Labour Congrees (NLC), also yesterday, said although it would not call out workers on a solidarity strike with the lecturers, it would hold a meeting in Kaduna tomorrow to take a stand on the way forward.

    No fewer than 200 policemen, most of them heavily armed, stopped ASUU members from carrying out an enlightenment walk in Calabar.

    The walk, which was organised by the UNICAL and Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) branches of ASUU, was to take off from the UNICAL gate at 7am and go through some streets of Calabar, but the policemen ensured the teachers did not leave the campus

    The policemen said they were acting on “orders from above”.

    ASUU Chairman Dr James Okpiliya said: “Our union is law abiding. We wrote to the police and other security agencies on our intention of walking the streets in pursuance of our cause to put the records straight.

    “Many groups have been walking the streets, giving people the wrong impression about the situation. We just want to put the records straight. The police are telling us that they have orders from above not to let us walk the streets of Calabar. It is a shame. You can all see the hypocrisy of government.

    “They allowed youth and market women but they would not let us academics, peace loving people. We would remain resolute. No amount of provocation would stop us.”

    Okpiliya went on: “We are not on strike because of our salaries. We are fighting for our students and the terrible conditions of our university. Most of our science students do not know the difference between Bunsen burner and a stove. They don’t even know the chemicals.

    “The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) today has become a main funding source of our universities, but this is not to be so. TETFUND is only an intervention agency. Government has bailed out banks and even Nollywood, but not our universities.

    “The strike would continue as long as the government remains adamant. The President said after all, the strike in Ghana lasted two years, so that means this one can continue even up to five years.

    “It is a shame for the President to say the strike is political. The strike is not political. We are fighting for the good of our people. If there is anything political about this it is by him Jonathan. Let him implement the agreement and if the strike continues then he can say it is political. Any government that does not pay attention to the education sector is a dead government.”

    The Chairman of ASUU, CRUTECH branch, Dr Nsing Ogar, said the Federal Government must honour the agreement.

    A former president of ASUU and renowned author, Prof Festus Iyayi, said a government that does not respect agreements is calling for anarchy.

    He said: “This is the final struggle. Even if it takes 10 years, the students should know we are struggling on their behalf. A day would come when the police would join us. A day would come when we would not care whether the police would stop or not. The state has failed.”

    Another lecturer from UNICAL said: “If the strike is called off today, everybody will be worse off for it. People are not looking at the issues; they are just saying open the school, let the children graduate. Let them go to school. They are not bothered about the quality of education they are getting. In the future, whatever we say the government will never take us seriously.”

    OAU chapter Chairman Prof. Peter Akinola, who led the protest, urged the Federal Government to accede to ASUU’s demands to enable the union suspend the industrial action.

    Addressing residents at the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Akinola said the education sector deserved a better deal.

    A member of the union, Prof. Gbolahan Babalola, said protest was to show the concern of ASUU for undergraduates who had stayed at home for months.

    He urged traditional rulers and other stakeholders to resolve the impasse.

    The Sarun Oodua, Chief Adekola Adeyeye, who represented the Ooni, praised ASUU for the peaceful conduct and show of concern for students.

    Adeyeye said that the Ooni understood that education was the best legacy that any parent or government could bequeath to any child.

    He promised that the union’s message would be relayed to the traditional ruler.

    The OAU lecturers moved round major streets of Ile-Ife. Osun State University teachers staged their rally at the newly built Freedom Square near Old Garage in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

    The Ile-Ife rally, which kicked off from the Oduduwa Hall of the OAU caused a traffic gridlock for many hours in the ancient town.

    Osun State University branch Chairman Dr. Joseph Abiona was worried over the misinformation being dished out to Nigerians by the Federal Government as reason for the strike.

    The NLC said it was in the process of mediating between the Federal Government and ASUU.

    Oyo State NLC Chairman Comrade Bashiru Olarewaju spoke at a town hall meeting organised by ASUU to review the strike. The meeting was held at the Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan (UI).

    At the Town Hall meeting were hundreds of people, including civil society groups’ members, politicians, the clergy, traders who were presented with slide of the NEEDS ASSESSMENT REPORT of 2009 .

    The NLC, according to Olarewaju , will meet tomorrow in Kaduna to take a decisive action on the ASUU strike.

    He said: “The government and some other people have been trying to undermine the power, the influence and the ability of each group that can salvage this nation from collapse . And let me say this, that NLC has not been quiet. No, many people will want the NLC to go on strike. No; we will not go on strike on ASUU for now. But, anything can happen after Wednesday. This is because we have more than 40 affiliates. If an affiliate of NLC is in crisis and we now bring the entire workforce to join the strike, the train of the nation will not move forward. What we do in most cases is to mediate. ASUU is an affiliate of the NLC. ASUU is our partner. We will work together ,” the NLC chair said.

    Prof. Remi Raji, Dean, Faculty of Arts, UI, said: “The way forward is for the government to look at the NEEDS ASSESSMENT report, which was presented to the government in November, 2012.

    “In the next few days, it will be one year and nothing has been done of the 189 recommendations and we are saying that it is very crucial for government to deal with it squarely for the future of our children and our nation because a country that does not develop its own capacity within, to develop its own education standard to world class quality, cannot claim to be a giant of Africa, cannot claim to have a clean bill of economic health . This is the issue.”

    UI chapter Chairman Dr. Olusegun Ajiboye said the appeal by President Jonathan to be patriotic is not needed but action and implementation of the agreement reached with the union.

    He said it was sad that a President who claimed that corruption is not Nigeria’s problem can watch a Minister buy bullet proof vehicles for N255million, yet claiming there is no money to fund education.

    He berated the President for speaking out publicly on the ongoing strike close to four months after it began, maintaining that he has not been patriotic and sensitive enough to the needs of the majority of Nigerians.

    He said: “Will it have been possible for Mr. President to be quiet if his children are in one of our public institutions and be at home for four months? “How many years of appeal will make Mr. President implement a four year old agreement? The truth is we are tired of appeal. We need action. “

    The Chairman of ASUU, Niger Delta University (NDU), Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Dr. Beke Sese, said the strike is to save the universities from collapse.

    He maintained that the strike had no political undertone and not targeted at Jonathan or his administration.

    Sese told reporters in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, that the industrial action was to protest the deplorable condition of public universities.

    “Imputing political motive to the strike is a calculated attempt by some persons to deploy propaganda gimmicks to the cause of the university teachers, in order to divert attention from the real issues that informed the strike,” Sese said, adding:

    “When the current Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, was ASUU president, the members did not compromise, when there was similar strike, during the regime of the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

    “This is the first time that ASUU members have embarked on a protracted strike, which centres on funding of the universities and improvement of the infrastructure. The funds so far released by the Federal Government are grossly inadequate. The 2009 agreement must be fully implemented.”

  • ‘ASUU distributing pamphlets abusing me in mosques’

    ‘ASUU distributing pamphlets abusing me in mosques’

    The Federal Government yesterday advised the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to end its four-month old strike by rethinking its “take-it-or-leave-it approach to negotiation”.

    Talks between the government and the teachers broke down when ASUU accused the government of being uninterested in implementing the 2009 agreement.

    In a statement yesterday, Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, accused ASUU leaders of “distributing pamphlets and flyers with abusive and inflammatory messages against the Finance minister in mosques and other places”

    The minster described ASUU action as “taking academic unionism to a new low and infusing it with unnecessary politics”.

    The statement added that the messages contained in the pamphlets and flyers “are directed at using falsehood to demonise the minister as callous and unsympathetic to the plight of students and parents”.

    The major lie being peddled in the pamphlets and flyers is that Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala has insisted on a “take-it-or-leave-it approach” in the negotiations with ASUU.

    Contrary to some recent media reports, the Federal government the statement said, has not adopted a take-it-or-leave-it approach in its negotiations with ASUU.

    Rather, the government’s “approach is focused on positive engagement and achieving sustainable solutions to the challenges facing higher education in the country”.

    It said government “has demonstrated its commitment to improving the university system. And it is even ready to do much more going forward. ASUU should listen to the voice of reason and the yearnings of Nigerians on this issue.

    “Government is working hard to seek practical and sustainable solutions to the challenges facing higher education in Nigeria.”

    “Already, President Goodluck Jonathan has made available N100 billion a year, in the first instance, to repair hostels, laboratories and classrooms and other facilities. An offer has also been made to ASUU of N30 billion towards their earned allowances. In fact, negotiations have even gone further than this.”

    The statement added: “It is the first time, in years of negotiating with government, that significant sums of money have been put on the table for ASUU and universities on this particular set of issues and the coordinating minister is fully part of this.”

     

  • ASUU and the Nigeria dilemma

    ASUU and the Nigeria dilemma

    Former president Olusegun Obasanjo, when confronted by a disagreement among his party’s henchmen in Anambra State, on how to share the spoils from rigging Governor Chris Ngige, into office, reportedly quipped, that, even among thieves, there should be honour. The refusal by Senator Chris Ngige, to keep the pre-election hemorrhage deal, reportedly also, led to his ouster. At present, just as appeals were mounting to persuade the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to end their four months old strike, news emerged that the Aviation Minister, Ms. Stella Oduah, and a federal agency under her care, conspired to spend a humongous N225 million, to buy just two cars.

    Now the dilemma facing President Goodluck Jonathan and well- meaning Nigerians should be how to convince members of ASUU to forgo their share of the Nigeria booty, while all the politically exposed persons and their friends are freely helping themselves. That is also the dilemma of the Nigerian economy, if indeed there is one. But the greater dilemma is that members of ASUU and some of us are paying doubly, as we suffer the faith of an economy built on wealth without work, and the enforced crisis in our failed education programs. After all, if a Minister can whimsically opt to buy a specialised car to tend her tender idiosyncrasy, would she or any of her privileged clan, not freely take enough from the same source, to send their children abroad, for higher education.

    Tragically, the universities are becoming quite similar to the roads. As the roads increasingly become unsafe due to attacks by armed gangs and the abandoned craters on the highways, the Nigeria elites have quickly resorted to the skies. So, while Nigeria is rated among the worst in human development index in the world, it ranks among the topmost private airplane owners. Conversely, while the public-owned universities are systematically being lynched through poor funding and the consequent death of human capital and learning environment; private universities and studying abroad is gaining preference. In confusion, even the state governments that are finding it extremely difficult to fund their universities are exuding the capacity to fund scholarships for a few privileged ones in foreign universities.

    Now after four months of staying at home, the university teachers and students are beginning to march on the streets, to gain attention. The import of this new tactics is that, the strike option has failed. And the reason for the failure is simple. Those who will make the decision to put more money in our universities, if any is left, do not have their children in the universities, and it appears the lecturers have not taken that into consideration. Again, it appears that ASUU chose a wrong time to fight, for more funds. Yes, while there may still be enough to steal in government, there is less to share.

    The ASUU leaders should have taken a cue from the reoccurring disagreements within the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). In the past few months, many state governors have been tempted to carry placards like ASUU members, as Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her economic team battle to share the left-over from the so called federation account, after the illegal-bunkerers and the bandits in government have stolen their shares upfront. Obviously, ASUU failed to realise that when the finance minister, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, said that the teachers won’t get any more money, than has been promised, that she was euphemistically telling them that the country is broke. And unfortunately, ASUU lacks the privileges of the national assembly, to forcefully take as much as they want from the federation pot, or threaten to bring the President down.

    Now, members of ASUU have become the fall guys. The ordinarily reticent former head of state, Gen. Abdusallami Abubakar, has asked the teachers to show patriotism and go back to their classes. Also the highly celebrated Catholic Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese, has added his voice in denouncing ASUU for their insistence that the federal government must keep the 2009 agreement, before they go back to the classroom. Even President Jonathan has added blackmail to his arsenal to get the teachers back to the class. And he was dramatic in his choice of words and the venue.

    Speaking at the maiden convocation of the Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Ado Ekiti, few days ago, President Jonathan, urged ASUU to “temper anger with patriotism.” At the university, the President, who also inaugurated an ultra-modern school of Engineering, named after him, in a classical case of de-marketing his own product, juxtaposed the experiences of students in the public and private universities; when he correctly observed that while ABUAD students spend three and half years to graduate, students of public owned universities have spent a semester at home, courtesy of ASUU strike.

    To pursue further the false but established perception that ASUU members are unpatriotic, the President pleaded: “I want to beg ASUU to reconsider its stand on the current impasse … the future of the country should not be derailed on the altar of industrial dispute.” The further dilemma for ASUU and their sympathisers is that despite the President’s responsibility in the entire crisis, many Nigerians seem to believe that he has shown more patriotism than the ASUU members, in the crisis.

    Also, the dilemma of our misguided federation is playing out in the ASUU crisis. Many state universities joined to shut, on the bogus promise of an intervention fund, from the Federal Government. Unfortunately for the students in those state universities, their teachers may need to strike many more times, to gain the benefits, if any, of this crisis. Let us pray that God will help our nation out of its many dilemmas.

     

     

     

  • ASUU: ERC welcomes NUT’s, NUPENG ’s solidarity strike threat

    The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) has said it welcomes the decision of three trade unions – the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) – to embark on solidarity strike to compel the Federal Government to honour agreements signed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    Its National Coordinator, Mr. Hassan Soweto said this in a statement. He added that the three unions should take this beyond the realm of threats and immediately name a day on which the solidarity strike would begin.

    He said the unions should begin active mobilisation of their rank and file, students who are frustrated at home and other concerned citizens to come out en-masse for mass protests and demonstrations on this day.

    He said:”We commend the three unions for taking this decision which we believe is in the best interest of the education sector and the nation at large. We agree that the ASUU strike has gone on for far too long and the plethora of strikes in the education sector are just too many. Slowly the entire public education sector is grinding to a halt.

    “The public polytechnics are equally closed and it will not be too long before the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) follow suit. The Colleges of Education lecturers held a seven-day warning strike. Indeed, the Academic Staff of Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) had to resume the strike they had suspended in July after three months, due to the insensitivity and insincerity of government to their demands and terms of the suspension of the last strike.”

    He said such a solidarity strike would be in the best interest of the education sector and the country at large.

    He continued: “The three unions come from key sectors of the nation’s economy. As such their decision to embark on solidarity strike if given full and practical effect could help pile pressure on the recalcitrant anti-poor Federal Government to meet demands of striking education unions so that public universities and polytechnics can be reopened for academic activities to resume.

    “This would also serve as an example for other unions and the entire labour movement to follow. We want to stress that the solidarity actions which the NUT, NUPENG and NUEE have envisioned should also cover and back the strikes of ASUP, COEASU and all other unions in the education sector that have any on-going dispute with the government over pay, conditions and education funding. This is the best way to ensure that all the outstanding disputes in the education sector are resolved and all public universities, polytechnics and colleges of educations are opened for full and undisrupted academic activities.”

    Soweto added that the ERC understands the position of Nigerians who believe that the entire sector will crumble if such a union as the NUT goes on strike.

     

     

     

  • Wike berates critics of First Lady’s honorary Degree

    The Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike has  faulted critics of  the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan over the honorary doctorate degree conferred on her by a University in South Korea.

    The Minister said the criticism were “not only out of place, but bereft of common sense”.

    Those opposing the award had claimed that it was ill-timed and improper for the First Lady to receive such award when universities in the Nigeria were shut down because of strike action by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    Wike on Sunday  maintained that there was nothing wrong with the action of the First Lady as long as it was the university that decided to extend such gesture to her.

    He stressed that the award was in recognition of the First Lady’s humanitarian services and in particular, her efforts in fighting cyber crimes.

    He said: “One will not necessarily bother himself because most of these critics do not understand how governance operate.”

    “The mere fact that ASUU is not on campus, does not mean all activities of government would be grounded.”

    “It does not also mean that other staff of the universities are not working. They are working; the only thing is that academic activities are not taking place.”

    Wike continued: “So, if other institutions all over the world want to honour the first lady for her contribution to mankind, I do not see anything wrong with that.”

    “That ASUU is on strike does not mean all universities are on strike. University of Illorin is a public university but they are not on strike.”

    “There are also other private universities in this country. So, to me such criticism is completely out of place; it does not make any sense,” he stated.

    He also appealed to the ASUU members to shift ground on their demands, just like the way government had done, in order to end the four months strike.

    He noted that the demands the staff are demanding from government had been there for over 20 years.

    Stressing that it was impossible for the government to fully fund the tertiary institutions, he advocated for financial autonomy for the universities.
    “We agree; ASUU is making some demands that would have improved on what we have in the universities. But, government is saying that in as much as we agree with you, these problems that had been there for over 20 years cannot be solved within two to three years. It is not possible and they should appreciate what government has done.”

    “Mind you, the fund that government is releasing has nothing to do with the TETFUND fund. So, if you put all together, you will find out that government is now spending at least N200billion to N300 billion every year, apart from the normal federal budget.” He stated

  • Student Leaders to FG, ASUU: Save us from boredom

    Student leaders from Akwa Ibom State have  cried out to the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to save them from prolonged stay out of school.

    The students under the auspices of Akwa Ibom Students Leaders’ Forum in a statement in Abuja lamented that they were tired of staying at home.

    The statement was signed by 52 Akwa Ibom student leaders drawn from within and outside the state.

    They include the Vice President (Special Duties), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Ubon Marcus, Saviour Ekpe of the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ) Uyo, Comrade Joshua Akpan of the University of Uyo and Comrade Uko Michael Ukpong of the University of Uyo , among others.

    The students further urged a quick resolution of the Federal Government and ASUU impasse to prevent escalation in crime rate across the country.

    They said: “The quick implication of this strike borders also on internal security as crime rate will soar, because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.

    “We are not laying blames for the current impasse but all we want is to go back to school and we want to do so as soon as possible.

    “We hereby appeal to ASUU and Federal Government to kindly ensure that the strike is called off and students return to classes as we are tired of being idle. We do not intend to be students for ever.

    “Think about our future. Think about our respective families that have suffered to send us through school and the financial implication of our continued stay in school on their lean resources. We are tired of this strike. We want to go back to school.”

    The students lamented that the strike which was called to positively improve the nation’s tertiary education is today having a negative impact on the students.

    They said: “While we salute the doggedness and resilience of ASUU towards ensuring that the 2009 agreement is implemented by the Federal Government, we wish to remind both ASUU and the Federal Government that this strike is affecting us negatively.

    “ASUU embarked on strike with the aim of achieving positive developments in the education sector but with the prolonged strike coupled with FG and ASUU’s uncompromising stance, the reverse is the case.

    “ASUU has accused the Federal Government of insincerity in implementing the 2009 agreement, while the Federal Government on its part has accused ASUU of making unrealistic demands.

    “We are hereby calling on both parties to consider the hardship imposed on us due to this strike. As the saying goes that when two elephants fight the grasses suffer, we the students are the casualties in this case.

    “There are some self sponsored students who make a living through small businesses like selling recharge cards on campus and other business ventures but with this strike, economic activities have been paralysed for such students. The question is: How will they survive?

    “Additionally, while the strike is ongoing, we are growing older without commensurate academic attainment but the age limit for employment is not adjusting to reflect strike.

    “In fact, most companies do not employ any person who is above 25 years as a fresh graduate. Is this not a ploy to give our colleagues in private universities and those studying abroad undue advantage over us? What wrong have we done in attending public universities?”

  • Accede to ASUU’s demands, cleric tells FG

    Accede to ASUU’s demands, cleric tells FG

    The moderator of Gideon I Baptist Association under the Lagos East Baptist Conference, Rev. Israel Kristilere, has appealed to the federal government to meet the demands of striking lecturers.

    He said this is necessary to save the tertiary education sector and redeem the future of the nation.

    Kristilere spoke last week in his address at the 3rd quarterly session of the association in Ikosi-Ketu, Lagos.

    The theme of the session was building witnessing families: The necessity for spiritual growth.

    The cleric said what the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are asking for is nothing compared to the fat allowances of elected government functionaries.

    According to him: “One is certainly weary to reprimand ASUU when one genuinely compares what the lecturers are demanding with what our elected officers corner to themselves in the name of entitlements.

    “It is no longer secret what our senators and legislators earn yearly is one of the highest in the world while the minimum wage for the ordinary Nigerian is one of the lowest in the world.”

    He pleaded with the federal to quickly accede to the demands of ASUU.

    Kristilere also kicked against the proposed increase in the tariff on imported vehicles, describing it as a “step in the wrong direction”.

    The move, he said, should be delayed for another five years until made-in-Nigerians have flooded the market.

    He called on the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to dissolve the two factions in the Lagos State chapter of the body, which has been in crisis for over 13 years.

    Both factions, the Senior Pastor of Shepherdill Baptist Church Obanikoro said, have overstayed their welcome and should be replaced with a new CAN approved by the national body.

    On the re-classification of schools in Osun State, Kristilere said the merger of mission schools with others is “insensitive to the nature, heritage and religious situation of the country.”

    He urged Osun State to return mission schools to their original owners in the interest of equity and fairness.

  • Okonjo-Iweala is a dictator —ASUU

    Okonjo-Iweala is a dictator —ASUU

    Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has branded Minister of Finance, Okonjo-Iweala ‘a dictator’ for her insistence that Federal Government would not release an extra kobo to fund education.

     Members of the union who staged a peaceful protest at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) on Friday, chanted songs and displayed placards condemning the posture of the Minister.

    Some of the placards carried by the lecturers read “Okonjo-Iweala, take it or leave it is a dictator’s stance on labour industrial negotiation”, “Responsible government respects agreement” and “No nation can develop without genuine commitment to education”.

     Speaking with journalists after the protest, Acting Chairman of ASUU ESUT chapter, Uche Omeje, said they were protesting because the federal government has refused to implement an agreement it freely went into with ASUU in 2009 as well as their memorandum of understanding of 2012.

    “They have been dragging their feet and we are not happy. Such statement like ‘take it or leave it’ cannot promote education. No nation can develop by not having a genuine commitment to education, research and education.

    “The Minister of Finance made a very clear statement that take it or leave it, federal government is not going to release extra ten kobo to fund education. We are saying that to make such a statement is clearly the mindset of Brettonwoods institution or Washington consensus. It is the mindset of a dictator” Omeje said.

    He noted that if any nation must develop, it must show commitment to education, adding that it is not an issue of ‘take it or leave it’.

    Omeje regretted that Nigeria occupies the bottom rock of nations that spent so less in education, stressing that the percentage of GDP federal government spends on education is so low when compared to other nations.

  • PHOTO: Peaceful protest in Enugu over ASUU strike

    PHOTO: Peaceful protest in Enugu over ASUU strike

  • ASUU rejects N600b offer

    ASUU rejects N600b offer

    Varsity teachers remained adamant last night, saying their strike would go on, despite the government’s shifting of its position. The strike has been on for four months.

    More cash has been pledged for projects on the campuses. Besides, the earned allowances due to the teachers have been increased from the initial N30 billion offer, which the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) rejected. The teachers are insisting on the 2009 agreement, which they say President Goodluck Jonathan was part of. Besides, they say, they do not trust the government.

    According to a circular by the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Prof. Bolaji Aluko, to the staff of the school, quoted yesterday by the news website, Sahara Reporters, the government has pledged to spend N200 billion on the universities in the 2014 budget and the same amount annually for the next three to four years.

    This is in addition to the N100 billion already made available this year, but which ASUU has rejected.

    The government has also increased to N40 billion, as a first installment, funds for the payment of earned allowances to the striking lecturers – an improvement from the N30 billion previously released.

    On the earned allowances, Aluko said: “Government will top it up with further releases once universities are through with the disbursement of this new figure of N40 million. So, Vice-Chancellors are urged to expedite this disbursement within the shortest possible time using guiding templates that have been sent by the CVC,” the circular said.

    Aluko said the latest development followed meetings on September 19 and Oct 11 of representatives of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, led by its Chairman, Prof. Hamisu of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) and ASUU representatives led by its President, Dr.Nasir Fagge, with Vice-President Namadi Sambo and Minister of Education Nyesome Wike.

    A source in the Ministry of Education last night also confirmed that the meeting took place.

    “But the government decided to leave the announcement of the decision to the ASUU chiefs,” the source said.

    It was gathered that Sambo urged ASUU to call off the strike, as he apologised for the “take-it-or-leave-it” comments credited to Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the beginning of the strike. The Minister did not seem to have been involved in either meeting, perhaps as the government’s way of soothing the feelings of the university teachers.

    Other points of agreement at the meetings include:

    •Project Prioritisation: Universities will now be allowed to determine their priorities and not be “rail-roaded” into implementing a pre-determined set of projects with respect to the NEEDS assessment. Decisions are not to be centralized;

    •TETFund Intervention: The government assured the teachers that the operations of the TETFund will not be impaired, and that the regular TETFund intervention disbursement to universities will continue, unaffected. So the NEEDS assessment capital outlays are in addition to regular TETFund intervention;

    •Project Monitoring: A new Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) for the NEEDS Assessment intervention for universities has been set up to take over from the Suswam Committee. The new one is under the Federal Ministry of Education and chaired by the Minister of Education. In addition, to build confidence and ensure faithful implementation and prevent any relapse as before, the Vice President will meet quarterly with the implementors to monitor progress.

    .Blueprint: ASUU was mandated to submit a blueprint for revitalising the universities to the Vice President.

    Prof. Aluko stated that a signed document will soon be issued to itemise the full issues on which the consensus was reached.

    But ASUU last night was unimpressed with the new offer. National Treasurer Dr. Ademola Aremu said the offer failed to meet the teachers’ expectations.

    He said the offer falls short of the agreement signed with ASUU by the government.

    Aremu insisted that ASUU would not end the strike until the 2009 agreement is fully implemented by injecting N500 billion into the universities yearly to shore up the system’s quality.

    Aremu, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone, said any offer below what is contained in the signed agreement, would amount to unilateral repudiation of an agreement the government willingly signed in 2009.

    According to the unionist, ASUU is not making any new demand, but a mere implementation of an agreement. He pointed out that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by both parties in 2009 stated that the government would commit N1.5 trillion to the system in three years.

    He said: “ Even if the Federal Government made that promise, it would be a unilateral repudiation of the 2009 agreement. By now, the government should have injected N500 billion. That amounts to N100 billion in 2012 and N400 billion in the current year.

    “As a matter of fact, any new commitment from the Federal Government is belated. Implementation of the agreement ought to have started before this year. I don’t think there is any way we can trust this government, going by its past behaviour on this issue.

    “The mandate from our principal as at the last time we met was that we won’t end the strike until the agreement is fully implemented.

    “We do not need promises again. What we need now is actual implementation. What if they do not release the funds again after making the promise?

    “It was this same Mr President that mid-wifed the agreement in 2009 when he was the Vice President. The MoU was in his custody. He studied the agreement well before asking then President Umaru Yar’Adua to sign it. We can’t trust this government.