• Friday, March 29, 2024
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BusinessDay

COVID-19: ASUU’S reluctance to go back to classrooms amid shoddy preparations unsettles FG, VCS

ASUU strike: Why ASUU, FG should be ashamed of themselves

Going by the unfavourable dispositions of many members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) towards the resumption of academic activities in all tertiary institutions across the country scheduled for Monday, there have been some apprehension within the government circle and among the University Authorities over the feasibility of resumption of academic activities as directed by Federal Government.

Recall that Abiodun Ogunyemi-led Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called off nine-month-old strike earlier embarked upon to press home their demands barely one month ago with a proviso to resume the industrial action at any time deemed necessary if their demands were not met by the government. Their demands border on lecturers’ welfare and adequate funding of Nigerian Universities for which protection of lecturers and students against COVID-19 is now creeping in.

Businessday reports that the lecturers under the auspices of ASUU in almost all the state-owned Universities across the country have told the government of not going back to the classrooms if adequate and effective preparations were not made to prevent the lecturers and students alike from contracting COVID-19, having observed preparations on almost all campuses in the country, demanding provisions of medical and physical infrastructure on various campuses before resumption.

Notably, the Branch Chairman of ASUU, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Adebayo Oni, declared that Universities such as FUNAAB is not ready to resume going by non-availability of medical and physical infrastructure on ground to prevent lecturers and students from COVID-19, but the Vice-chancellor, Felix Salako quickly countered the claim, accusing ASUU of personalised unionism and de-marketing of University system in Nigeria.

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Also, Public Relations Officer of the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti, (FUOYE), Adeyinka Ademuyiwa, who spoke on behalf of School Authority, expressed such apprehension and doubt over the possibility of resumption of academic activities on the part of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), saying, “we are watching. It appears ASUU strike and negotiation issues may be another bottleneck” to Monday planned resumption of academic activities in the Universities.

Meanwhile, the two Nigerian Universities classified as the first Generation Universities, namely, the University of Ibadan in Oyo state and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Osun have deferred scheduled Monday resumption, saying the Senate, which are the Universities’ academic governing body, would have to seat and deliberate on the modus operandi and review level of preparations before the resumption of academic activities as the second wave of COVID-19 ravages on in the country.

Speaking through phone calls, the Public Relations Officers of the two Universities, Tunji Oladejo for the University of Ibadan and Abiodun Olanrewaju for Obafemi Awolowo University, said that that the universities would not open suddenly without adequate preparations and decisions of the Senate.

While Abiodun Olanrewaju of OAU said, “the Senate will decide on the students’ resumption, they are to meet on 19th January 2021 to decide next line of action”, Tunji Oladejo of UI simply said, “the Senate will have to seat to decide that.”

But, federal and state universities such as the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA); University of Ilorin, Ilorin; Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE); the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB); Kwara State University, Malete, (KWASU); Osun State University, Osogbo; Olabisi Onabanjo, University (OOU); Tai Solarin University of Education, among others, are ready to resume as scheduled.

At the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), the Senate of the university has given approval for resumption of academic activities from next Monday going by the press statement issued in Akure, Ondo state capital by the Deputy Director Corporate Communications and Protocol of the institution, Adebanjo Adegbenro.