The Academic Staff Union of Universities in Nigeria, ASUU said on Monday, that it has commenced total and Comprehensive indefinite Industrial Action, (strike) because of Federal government’s failure to fulfill the 2009 Agreement made with the Union.
ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi, said during the industrial action which began on 13th of August nationwide, there would be no teaching, no examination and no attendance of statutory meeting of any kind in any of its branch till government meets up with it demands. Ogunyemi briefed Journalists after the emergency meeting of its National Executive Council held in University of Abuja.
According to him, “Consequently, based on a nationwide consultation with our members, an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council, NEC, of ASUU rose on Saturday, 12th August, 2017, with a resolution to embark on an indefinite strike action starting from Sunday, 13th August, 2017. The nationwide action is total and comprehensive. During the strike, there shall be no teaching, no examination and no attendance of statutory meetings of any kind in any of our branches.
“The foundation for the development of any nation lies in the attention it pays to education. No nation can grow beyond the levelof its educational development. Any genuine move to transform Nigeria into an economically viable and politically stable country, a just and humane society, must begin with a firm commitment to an all-round transformation of the country’s education”.
Ogunyemi said the political class has shifted attention to sending their wards to private universities and universities abroad leaving public universities in Nigeria to collapse, “it is however disappointing that despite prime importance of university education, the political class in Nigeria has continued to pay lip service to addressing the rot and decay in the sub-sector. As things stand, the country is beginning to lose the little gains achieved from the struggles of ASUU, the labour movement, the media and other patriotic organizations, at salvaging our crisis ridden public universities.
“The most obvious evidence of this trend is the failure of both Federal and State government to implement, agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, MOU, and resolutions designed to provide clear pathways to addressing the enormous challenges preventing the Nigeria University System from fulfilling their mandate.
“If this trend continued unchecked, the country stands the risk of losing whatever is left of the Nigerian public universities, the same fate that has befallen our public primary and secondary schools. This ultimately, will take access to quality university education beyond the reach of children of the poor majority of our people. For us, a union, this is unacceptable! ASUU will continue to work with other progressive elements in the country to resist the hidden agenda of the ruling class which the Breton Woods Institutions, (IMF AND World Bank), have continued to promote, to sustain the underdevelopment of our people”.
He said the failure of the governments to implement a substantial part of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement led to series of warning strikes and a total, comprehensive strike in 2011/201. Another failure by the government, led to another strike action by ASUU in 2013.
The strike led to the signing of an MoU, 2013, the MoU included, fund for revitalization of the university system, a dedicated revitalization account to be opened by FGN with Central Bank of Nigeria to warehouse the fund, a central monitoring committee to monitor the implementation of the revitalization of the universities, payment of outstanding balance of the earned academic allowance and engagement of the services of public universities in special consultancy as a way of boosting IGR of the universities.
The Union called on all patriots to prevail on owners of public universities to be alive to their responsibilities. He called on Nigerians to give Nigerian University system the attention they deserve.
The ASUU President stated that the Wale Babalakin led committee lack powers to resolve the issue as there were unimplemented items in the 2009 Agreement.
Among the issues in current disputes involved in the 2009 Agreement and 2013 MOU are ,funding for the revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances, registration of Nigerian universities pension management company ,university staff school, fictionalisation and non-payment of salaries among others.
The former National President of ASUU, Nasir Fagge, in his contribution condemned the allocation given to education which he said was not more than 7%, saying “For country that is really serious about development, at least we need like 20% of their budget to education”.
LAIDE AKINBOADE-ORIERE
