The Educational Employees Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared its readiness to confront the Federal Authorities if its expectations aren’t met in 2025.
ASUU has accused the Federal Authorities of neglecting college schooling within the nation, citing continued disregard for college academics all through 2024 as a evident case of abandonment.
The problems raised by ASUU stay unresolved, highlighting the federal government’s failure to behave, the Chairman of ASUU, College of Ibadan chapter, Professor Ayo Akinwole, stated in an announcement on Wednesday.
He acknowledged that the uninterrupted 2024 educational calendar was as a consequence of sacrifices made by the union and never the federal authorities. Regardless of this, points beforehand tabled earlier than the federal government stay unresolved.
Prof. Akinwole criticised the Federal Authorities’s introduction of an 18-year age criterion for college admission and urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to renegotiate with ASUU and signal the Nimi-Briggs-led renegotiated draft settlement.
The professor accused the federal government of neglecting key points equivalent to: the non-provision of funding for the revitalisation of public universities as outlined within the FGN-ASUU MoU of 2012, 2013, and the MoA of 2017; non-release of three and a half months of withheld salaries; non-release of third-party deductions, together with scheduled mortgage repayments, private financial savings for retirement schemes, and cooperative contributions; pending arrears of Earned Educational Allowances (EAA). Proliferation of public universities with out satisfactory funding; non-implementation of experiences from Visitation Panels; failure to switch IPPI, and non-renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Settlement.“These pending points stay unresolved in 2024 and can outline the connection between our union and the Federal Authorities in 2025,” Akinwole stated.
“Having reviewed the state of schooling in Nigeria in 2024, it’s time to set an agenda for 2025.”
He additional criticised the federal government’s inaction in addressing challenges within the schooling sector, warning that the union may resort to a battle in 2025 if these points stay unaddressed, probably resulting in a disaster.
The ASUU chairman additionally harassed the necessity for an entire overhaul of infrastructure within the nation’s tertiary schooling sector and advocated for higher remuneration for college employees to draw certified professionals.
“The welfare of employees within the schooling sector and Nigerian employees is paramount, contemplating the state of the nationwide financial system and excessive price of dwelling, which has eroded the circumstances of service of our members,” the assertion learn.
Akinwole known as for the swift assessment and signing of the Nimi-Briggs-led renegotiated draft settlement, arguing that college lecturers’ salaries ought to be restored to the African common, as stipulated within the 2009 Settlement.
“The professorial wage pegged at $3,000 in 2009 now quantities to a paltry $200 as a result of depreciation of the Nigerian Naira in opposition to the US greenback,” he stated.
He additionally condemned the Federal Authorities’s assault on TETFund and urged the rejection of insurance policies that commodify college schooling. As an alternative, he advocated for Nigeria to emulate nations like Germany, the place schooling is free and adequately funded.
Prof. Akinwole additional highlighted the inadequacy of budgetary allocations to the schooling sector, which nonetheless falls in need of the globally accepted benchmark of 15 to twenty per cent.
