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Tag: ASUU

  • APC slams Fed Govt for blackmailing ASUU

    APC slams Fed Govt for blackmailing ASUU

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as a cheap and ludicrous strategy’s decision by the Federal Government to use market women, religious leaders and even students to put pressure on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off its strike without resolving the issues that caused the action in the first instance.

    In a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the strike, which is now in its fourth month, would have ended by now if the Federal Government had pursued its negotiations with ASUU with half the energy it has been using to rally various groups to protest against the union.

    It described as particularly ridiculous the crowd-for-hire protest in Abuja on Monday by the so-called National Market Women Association, in which their leader vowed to chase lecturers out of Nigeria and replace them with ‘’jobless Nigerians’’.

    ‘’This infantile statement by the leader of the apparently misguided market women is the most irresponsible statement that anyone has made on the long-drawn ASUU strike, and it is a shame that the government is the instigator of such nonsense.

    ‘’While indeed there are millions of jobless Nigerians, is it just any jobless Nigerian who can be a university teacher? How does President Goodluck Jonathan, himself a former university teacher, feel about those apparently hired by his administration treating university teachers with so much disrespect? Even if the government succeeds in forcing the lecturers back to the classroom, can it force them to teach effectively?

    ‘’Why are these groups, including students who have sold their souls to the devil, not mounting the same pressure on the Federal Government to intensify its efforts to end the strike? Why didn’t these groups protest when the First Lady embarked on a junket to receive a spurious award even as Nigerian public universities remain shut? After all, a government that said it will go broke if it honours its agreement with ASUU had no compunction shelling out huge tax payers money to fund the First Lady’s jamboree to South Korea.’’

    The party reminded those who are blaming ASUU for the strike that all the teachers are demanding are better infrastructure for the universities, a favourable condition for teaching and research as well as an enhanced pay that will stem the tide of brain drain, which has left the country’s public tertiary institutions struggling to get high-qualify faculties.

    ‘’How are these demands anti-students, as some thoughtless students and misled market women have alleged?’’ it queried.

    APC reiterated its earlier call on the Federal Government to respect the agreement it signed with ASUU, saying if the government would cut waste, adequately tackle corruption and show more prudence, there will be more than enough resources to spend on the education of the nation’s youth, without which there will be no development.

    The party asked President Jonathan to tender an unreserved apology to ASUU for the antics of his administration in using public funds to induce fake and easy-to-manipulate individuals and groups to launch scurrilous attacks on the striking teachers.

  • ASUU: As Omotola makes a fist

    There is no word to describe the beauty of this daintiest of woman. Put differently, her beauty defies words. It is the kind of beauty that would trouble and torment the soul of any man who beholds it; especially those imbued with lascivious spirit. Omotola Jalade Ekeinde (along with a few others) is the face of Nigeria’s movie business eponymously known as Nollywood. Tagged Omosexy by her fans, the languid, fledgling young mother of four, who hit our consciousness nearly two decades ago has today, grown into a veritable screen goddess and an international icon. She is a UN ambassador; early in the year, she made the Time magazine Top 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Today, she stands as the ultimate Nigerian diva, epitomising the very best of her age and our show business.

    Particularly endearing is the notion that like good wine, she gets better with age garnering more international acclaim, raising standards and reenacting pure genius in her new works. For instance, in a recent film Ije, (The Journey), in which she starred alongside Genevieve Nnaji, another luscious Nollywood star, Omotola marshalled a performance that would stand out even in Hollywood. Of course she has a closet bursting with awards from far and near. Such is the standing of this home-made belle who burst forth into the world by sheer brilliance, tenacity and hard work.

    Well, do not think that Hardball has become so suddenly besotted to this fair queen, this lush, delectable mass that he has resorted to writing a love sonnet in another form. Far from it (though not entirely, terribly, too far (am I stuttering?)).But the key point to note here is that Omotola has struck a chord that resonates strongly with Hardball (hmn!?) and of course with the lost denizens of the Government-ASUU imbroglio. She may have raised her game once more by delving into a terrain hitherto uncharted by the people of her clan. Last Tuesday, Omotola lent her sexy voice to the ASUU logjam, making a bold and audacious statement on her Facebook and Twitter accounts.

    While other celebrities were probably out there in exotic resorts making the most of the Sallah Holiday, she chose the period to spare a thought for Nigerian students who she described as “wasting away”. Hear her: “Education is a right, not a privilege. This should be the first responsibility of every parent, state and country to their child. Why are students of the most populous black nation in the world, ‘Giant of Africa’, not in school?

    “Where are all the educational funds? Why is there a crippling silence when Nigerian schools have been shut for almost four months and youths are wasting away with their future uncertain? Barka de Sallah. As we pray, eat, and relax on the occasion of this holiday, our youths should spare sometime to think. Youths, your destiny is in your hands.” Not even Hardball and a combination of the most cynical social critics in the land could have mustered such hail of umbrage and captured it in such powerful phrases and imagery.

    She talks about “crippling silence”, “youths wasting away” and education being a right. She pondered the huge and numerous education funds and ended by charging the youth to “think” and take their destiny in their hands. There cannot be a better and more influential voice speaking up for the Nigerian students at this time. She has a combined following on her two social media platform of no fewer that 1.5 million people. That is worldwide and that is massive.

    It is hoped that the starkly important message that Hardball and numerous other well-meaning Nigerians have been unable to pass to our obdurate government, the beautiful voice has done it. But let it be noted that by toying with ASUU’s demands, by failing to understand the import of education in today’s world, this government, this presidency to be precise, is invoking trouble.

  • Strike: Campus journalists urge re-negotiation

    The Association of Campus Journalists at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, (OAU) has called on members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resume negotiation with the Federal Government to resolve the protracted strike. The association made the plea in a publication made available to our correspondent.

    The statement reads in part: ‘’It’s been over 90 days that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on an indefinite strike .The genesis of the current dispute between ASUU and government is rooted in persistent government insincerity and official deception in respect to the belated implementation of the 2009 pact.  “Many of the demands were resolved in an agreement signed between the Federal government and ASUU in 2009. However, while ASUU demands a full implementation of the agreement, the government said it cannot implement all and is seeking a re-negotiation of some part of the agreement for economic reasons.’’

    In a chat with CAMPUSLIFE, President of the union, Alex Ojekunle, a 400-Level Public Administration student, said: ‘’Almost four years after the Federal Government willingly signed the agreement with ASUU, the same government has reneged on its promises. That is a regrettable failure of the Jonathan administration. It saddens our hearts to know that the Federal Government has refused to honour the pact. Rather, they tell whoever cares to listen that the nation is too broke to implement the terms of the agreement.’’

    He called on the lecturers to call off the strike, noting that industrial actions always have negative impact on students.

    ‘’There is nothing wrong for lecturers to embark on industrial action to seek better conditions of service. But over the years, almost all the strike actions embarked on by university lecturers have amounted to nothing. Our plea is that both parties should work out a mutual pact that would give room for continuous negotiation in order to save Nigerian Universities system from utter collapse.’’

  • Fed Govt to blame for prolonged ASUU strike, says Osinbajo

    Fed Govt to blame for prolonged ASUU strike, says Osinbajo

    •NIALS boss: make law a graduate course  

    Former Lagos State Attorney-General and professor of law Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) yesterday blamed the government for the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which began on July 1.

    He said strikes had become popular because the government failed to act early to prevent conflicts.

    Osinbajo said: “I think it is time the government begins to look at ways in which we can engage the issues around education and other tensions in the society without waiting until things get to a head.”

    He spoke to The Nation at the Lagos campus of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), where he was a guest speaker at the ongoing NIALS Annual Festival of Legal Scholarship.

    The lawyer urged the government to reconsider how it deals with conflicts and not allow matters get out of hand before acting.

    He said: “There is no doubt that every strike has a way of impacting education negatively. We are in an environment where nothing is done until there is a strike or somebody does something dramatic or alarming. It seems to me that it really should be up to the authorities at this time to find ways in which we can resolve conflicts.

    “Generally speaking, governments always appear to be uninterested in resolving an issue until it comes to a head. That is the reason strikes have become very popular. I do not see any reason why we should be talking of academics and the funding of universities in this way. It should be basic. The United Nations (UN) has recommended, at least, 20 per cent of the budget for education, but these parameters are never met.”

    On the Federal Government’s plan to organise a national conference, Osinbajo said the agenda was not clear-cut and he does not clearly understand its essence.

    He said: “We have seen examples of these national conferences that appear to be knee-jerk reactions to something other than the realities of our present condition. I will like to better understand what this national conference is about. I do not know what the agenda is.

    “The circumstance in which it was announced appears somewhat funny, but let us see what we can make of it. However it is described, if it is another opportunity to talk, why not talk?”

    NIALS Director-General Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN) said the falling standard of education was more manifest at the primary and secondary school levels, explaining that many secondary school leavers could not write or speak basic english.

    He said: “The decline is at the lowest level of education. You do not learn brighter grammar at the Law Faculty. If you do not get it right in the primary and secondary schools, forget it.”

    Azinge criticised ASUU for allegedly not contributing enough to academic research, saying: “Let ASUU tell us what it has done for the country in terms of research. America is talking of driverless cars and we cannot even manufacture a bicycle!”

    He recommended making law a secondary university course, saying: “Is it not time we made law a graduate study? Can’t we return it to a graduate programme?”

    Most of today’s law graduates, Azinge said, no longer possess the “dignity, decorum and confidence” required of lawyers. The festival continues till Friday.

     

  • Sultan urges striking workers to return to work

    Sultan urges striking workers to return to work

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Tuesday urged striking workers to call off their strikes and go back to the negotiating table.

    Abubakar made the call as part of his Eid el-Kabir message to the Muslim faithful.

    “We wish to use this opportunity to call on all those on strike, especially university academic and non-academic staff to call off their strikes so as to reduce the sufferings of the people.

    “And they should go back to the negotiating table in order to bring an end to the crisis.

    “This is a problem in the development of the country. We urged the government to listen to the complaints of the workers with the intention of solving them.

    “The workers on their part should always be mindful of the suffering of the teeming populace in the country,” he said.

    Abubakar maintained that the strike by the University lecturers now in its fourth month had caused a lot of hardships to the students and their parents.

    “The strike of medical workers has on its part, caused loss of many lives and untold hardship to the sick who cannot afford going to private clinics,” Abubakar said.

    He also expressed concern with the insecurity in the country, saying: “It is a matter of great concern.”

    The Sultan appealed to all Muslims to live peacefully and avoid all acts of violence.

    “We wish to call on the politicians, especially those holding executive positions, to help in ensuring the security of this country,’’ he said.

    Abubakar also urged the politicians to find lasting solution to the security situation and improve the lot of the people who elected them.

    He further called on the governments at all levels to empower the youths through proper moral education and provision of employment opportunities.

    “This will enhance the security situation and bring the desired peace in this country,” Abubakar said.

     

     

  • ASUU warns UNILORIN on ‘plan’ to share N30b fund

    ASUU warns UNILORIN on ‘plan’ to share N30b fund

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned the authorities of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) not to share the N986.7 million earned allowance disbursed to it by the Federal Government until the end of the ASUU strike.

    The Zonal Coordinator of ASUU (Ilorin Zone), Dr Ayan Adeleke, spoke yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    He said the authentic ASUU Chairman at UNILORIN, Dr. Taiwo Oloruntoba-Oju, had conveyed the position of the union to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali, that the struggle for funding was still going on.

    The lecturer warned that universities should not betray the struggle by disbursing the earned allowances until the end of the agitation for the union’s demands.

    It was learnt that UNILORIN workers were discussing with the university’s management the modalities to share the university’s share of the N30 billion earned allowances from the Federal Government.

    Dr Adeleke, who denounced the Prof Wahab Egbewole-led faction, said: “The group had been declared illegal by the National Industrial Court. Whatever they are doing is illegal.”

  • ASUU strike: Fed Govt insincere, says Fagge

    ASUU strike: Fed Govt insincere, says Fagge

    The Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) has accused the Federal Government of insincerity in the implementation of the 2009 agreement between them.

    Addressing reporters yesterday in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, ASUU President Dr Nasir Fagge said the Federal Government was only interested in keeping the union’s members talking without solving the problem of decay in the universities.

    He said: “The Federal Government has intervened in the banking sectors with trillions; yet, the economy did not collapse. It has intervened in Nollywood (the movie industry) and the textile industry; yet, the economy has not collapsed.”

    The union leader stressed that the strike was not about lecturers but on the efforts to improve the standard of infrastructure and living conditions in federal and state universities.

    Dr Fagge advised parents, students and other stakeholders to be patient with ASUU.

    He said not all parents could afford to send their children abroad for studies.

    On the directive by Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam that the State University (BSU) should resume duty because its lecturers have no business joining the national strike, Dr Faage said the state university was a part of ASUU and the agreement in dispute with the Federal Government.

    He said the strike would continue until the government implements the 2009 agreement.

    Kano State Governor Musa Kwankwaso has urged ASUU to resolve its face-off with the Federal Government.

    The governor noted that the union’s strike was negatively affecting the nation’s progress.

    He said the strike was almost old-fashioned for settling labour disputes across the world, considering its massive socio-economic implications.

    Kwankwaso said the strike was causing serious hardship to students and their parents.

    The governor spoke yesterday at the foundation-laying ceremony of the Mariya Sanusi Ultra-Modern Theatre complex at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano.

    The governor urged the union to be more realistic and call off its strike in the collective interest of Nigerians.

    He said: “It is good for anybody or people to fight for his or their rights, but it should be in a decent and proper way, which should not jeopardise the entire system.”

    Kwankwaso said most of the students his administration sponsored for foreign studies were progressing while their colleagues in Nigeria were roaming the streets because of the university lecturers’ strike.

    He said his administration had sent over 1,000 students abroad to study in various universities at undergraduate and post-graduate levels, as part of a broad human development programme.

  • ASUU strike paralyses activities around varsities

    ASUU strike paralyses activities around varsities

    The three-month-old industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has paralysed commercial activities around university campuses in Anambra State.

    Investigation showed that some of the shops around the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) and Anambra State University (ANSU) at Uli in Ihiala Local Government and Igbariam in Anambra East Council have been shut.

    Commercial vehicle operators and Keke Napep (tricycle) operators, as well as hairstylists, barbers, cobblers and store owners are regretting the closure of schools.

    Most of the business operators are finding it difficult to feed their families or pay school fees.

    At the Igbariam campus of ANSU, commercial activities have been grounded. One of the shop operators, who gave her name as Nkechi, said: “We are financially-down.”

    She told The Nation that no sane person would pray to experience such a situation again in his or her life.

    She said the lecturers should not be blamed for demanding their rights, but the Federal Government, who have refused to obey the agreement it signed in 2009.

    At the UNIZIK Ifite Road end of the institution, business operators were almost in tears, as things were at a standstill.

    At the TEEZERS NK joint, close to the second gate of the campus on Ifite Road, the area, which used to be a beehive of activities, has been deserted.

    When our reporter visited the place yesterday, one of the operators, who simply gave her name as Juilet, urged immediate resolution of the impasse.

  • FG not committed to resolving varsity crises – ASUU

    FG not committed to resolving varsity crises – ASUU

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said that there is no sincerity on the part of the federal government in keeping with the 2009 agreement.

    Speaking to journalist in Makurdi, Benue State, on Wednesday, the President of the union, Dr. Nasir Fagge, said the federal government is only interested in keeping ASUU members talking but not committed to addressing the rot in the university system.

    He dismissed the federal government’s assertion that other sectors of the economy would be affected if the 2009 agreement is implemented.

    “The government has intervened in the banking sector,yet the economy did not collapse, it has intervened in Nollywood and textile industries yet the economy has not collapsed.

    The strike is not just about the lectures but efforts to improve standard of infrastructures and leaving condition in federal and state universities. We advised parent, students and stakeholders to understand ASUU’s position as not everybody can afford to send their children abroad for learning, “he stated.

     

     

  • ASUU: Jonathan is politicising lecturers’ strike

    ASUU: Jonathan is politicising lecturers’ strike

    • SSANU starts indefinite strike

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has criticised President Goodluck Jonathan for criticising the strike by the university teachers.

    ASUU, in a statement by the Chairman of the University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Olusegun Ajiboye entitled “Nigeria at 53: No message of hope for Nigerians Yet”, said the Presidential Media Chat was empty.

    Dr. Ajiboye said the president ‘is politicising the ASUU strike’ , saying it was unfortunate for the president to treat the sector with such ‘hatred and disfavour’.

    He said: “It was clear that Mr. President was just rehearsing the positions of his aides. He said ASUU strike has been politicised. The question is by who? It is evident that rather than ASUU, the president and his team are the ones politicising education and playing with the future of the teeming youths of this country. ASUU members successfully midwifed the 2011 general elections and they were not accused of playing politics then! It is only now some people are waking up to label members of ASUU of playing politics with strike.

    “ASUU members are not politicians. When ASUU members risked their lives to conduct free and fair elections in 2011, they were not referred to as politicians. Now that they are fighting for universities, they have become politicians. We reject that position; we believe that that position is not correct and it does not represent our motivation.

    “ASUU members are patriotic Nigerians who believe in the emancipation and development of education in this country. We cannot play politics with Nigeria’s future. The 2009 agreement is sacrosanct. It is aimed at re-fertilsing and rejuvenating the Nigerian University System (NUS).”

    Ajiboye also said it was wrong for President Jonathan to say state universities should not be part of the agreement.

    “The President hasn’t got a good grasp of reality. It is JAMB that regulates admissions into both federal and state universities – including private universities. It is the NUC (National Universities Commission) that oversees accreditation in all universities. It is The President does not realise that the Nigerian Universities System is one system. For him to be talking about federal or state universities is an anomaly and I believe he will go back and study the issue from a different dimension.”

    The chairman of ASUU at the Lagos State University (LASU), Dr Fikayo Idris, said it was wrong of the Federal Government to complain about state universities’ involvement in the strike.

    He said: “It will be mischievous of any official, especially those who have knowledge about the negotiations that took place ahead of the MOU ASUU signed with Federal Government last year.

    “The NEEDS Assessment Report ,which government itself conducted, highlighted the rots in the universities system at both the state and federal levels. That was why both parties agreed Federal Government’s intervention should be for both federal and state universities.”

    The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) yesterday began an indefinite strike until the Federal Government accedes to the 2009 agreement signed with it.

    The Chairman of the union in UI, Wale Akinremi said: “We have been short-changed by the government on the area of subventions and we cannot take it again.”

    He spoke yesterday at a congress held by the chapter at the Arts Theatre, UI, Ibadan.

    The union leader said: “Non-teaching members of staff are wrongly placed in the education system, and these issues must be holistically addressed.”