The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has asked Nigerians to hold the Federal Government responsible if it embarks on an indefinite strike over non-completion of the ongoing renegotiation.
Coordinator of ASUU Lagos Zone, Prof. Sola Nassir, made the declaration at a briefing at the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED) to inform Nigerians on progress about the ongoing renegotiation between government and the union.
According to him, the ultimatum of four weeks to complete the renegotiation issued by the union is less than 72 hours and ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) will meet to take a decision.
In October, the lecturers suspended their warning strike with a month-long ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its demands which centred around their welfare and providing conducive teaching and learning environment.
Nassir recalled that ASUU and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) gave the Federal Government four weeks (November 20) to conclude the ongoing renegotiation.
“Once this window of opportunity expires, NEC will meet for the next line of action. It will take a miracle for ASUU not to embark on an indefinite strike.
“We have related with all we could in the country to plead with the government to resolve this lingering debacle, all to no avail. We in the Lagos Zone of ASUU, comprising seven universities are therefore putting government on notice of our total commitment to whatever cause of action declared by ASUU at the national front in addressing this matter.
“Without mincing words, the crisis in our public universities has gained the status of a drastic disease which can only be redeemed with a drastic surgical operation.”
Nassir alleged that rather than address ASUU’s demands, government functionaries are busy attacking the union while the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa is setting up other unions against ASUU.
He disclosed that many aspects of ASUU’s demands have not been implemented and insisted that the country has the resources to turnaround university education
The Coordinator revealed that the two weeks warning strike was suspended because the union noticed a change in government nonchalant attitude that compelled the strike.
Nassir stated without any fear of contradiction that contrary to the minister’s celebratory disposition, the recent part payment of promotion arrears date back to 2017 and the release of third party deductions, which are part of members unpaid benefits for years cannot be counted as achievements and must not be framed as the substantial issues of the negotiation process.
On funding, Nassir not that the government appears not to appreciate the perilous position of the future of the education sector and the future of the nation’s children given their refusal to reverse the derisory budgetary allocation to education.
He said rather, government appeared to have shifted a lot of its responsibility on TETFund, which is only an intervention agency.
“It is sad to note that Nigeria’s funding of education has stagnated below 10 percent in the last decade and is currently less than one percent of its GDP contrary to about two percent for Egypt, three percent for Ghana, over three percent for Gabon and over six percent for South Africa. The consequence of this is obvious for all to see.
“The Nigeria’s political class must be told in unmistakable language that they are underdeveloping the country and this must stop. The country has the resources to turn our educational fortune around. It must start with prudent management of our resources, large scale war on corruption, recovery of funds locked in various revenue generation agencies (NNPC, CBN, Customs, FIRS, etc.) which must be streamlined to ensure appropriate remittances into the Consolidated Account,” he stated
On salary, Nassir said in the 2009 negotiation, a professor earned about three thousand dollars and currently takes home less than four thousand dollars.
The Zonal Coordinator explained that ASUU rejected the 35% offered by the government team, which is below what the union agreed with the Prof. Nimi Briggs negotiation team, “even with the 35% increase, the salary of a professor is not up to N1 million. When you remove tax and other deductions, professors are left with about N700,000.”
He disclosed that the issues lead union to embark on numerous strikes and the last two weeks warning strike are: completion of re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement; sustainable funding of public universities; funding for revitalization of public universities; victimization of our colleagues in Lagos State University, Kogi State University (now Prince Abubakar Audu University).. and Federal University of Technology, Owerri; payment of 12 months 25-35 percent wage award arrears; payment of promotion arrears of over four years; and payment of outstanding third-party deductions of cooperatives and union check-off dues.
Nassir further revealed that the renegotiation was supposed to continue today (Tuesday) in Abuja but the government team did not show up forcing the ASUU team to leave the venue.
At another briefing, Kano Zonal Coordinator, Abdulkadir Muhammad, warned that it will resume its nationwide strike if agreement was not reached with the Federal Government at the expiration of its one month ultimatum.
Muhammad decried what he described as a sluggish approach to renegotiating key agreements aimed at revitalising Nigeria’s public university system.
The meeting had representatives from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria; Bayero University Kano (BUK); Kaduna State University (KASU).
Others were Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Wudil, Federal University Dutse (FUD), Northwest University (NWU), Kano; and Sule Lamido University (SLUK), Kafin Hausa.
