Within the final 25 years, the Educational Employees Union of Universities (ASUU) has launched into strikes for over 50 months (virtually 5 years). Every strike leaves a path of destruction of the upper schooling system, with virtually nothing else to cherish of the general public ivory towers. Past one other industrial motion, stakeholders reckon that the teachers should discover different technique of demanding their rights with out inflicting extra accidents on all, OWEDE AGBAJILEKE stories.
Indications have emerged that the Federal Authorities and the Educational Employees Union of Universities (ASUU) might not resolve the lingering and knotty problems with welfare and renegotiated agreements outlined by the lecturers earlier than the expiration of the deadline given by the latter.
Though the federal government had, final week, inaugurated the renegotiation committee to renew talks with the aggrieved union, there are nonetheless doubts over the opportunity of the federal government assembly the union’s calls for.
These fears are multiplied by the Federal Authorities’s excellent obligation to implement the brand new N70,000 minimal wage, its important money owed, finances deficits, and alleged reliance on borrowings.
Additional making ASUU’s calls for to seem unrealistic at this second, is the plethora of calls for by different labour unions within the tertiary schooling sub-sector, together with the Senior Employees Affiliation of Nigerian Universities (SSANU); Non-Educational Employees Union of Academic and Related Establishments (NASU); Educational Employees Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), and the Faculty of Schooling Educational Employees Union (COEASU).
Through the years, ASUU has been at loggerheads with the Federal Authorities over points bordering on the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 settlement; withheld salaries; promotion arrears, funding for the revitalisation of public universities, and fee of earned educational allowances.
Different complaints embrace allegations of unlawful recruitment; proliferation of public universities and abuse of guidelines and processes; treasury single account; use of recent curriculum for universities; diversion of Tertiary Schooling Belief Fund (TETFund) intervention fund to the scholar mortgage scheme, and the implementation of the stories of visitation panels to universities.
One other grouse, that the lecturers have in opposition to the federal government, is that 9 months after the Federal Govt Council (FEC) excluded universities, polytechnics, faculties of schooling, and different tertiary establishments from the Built-in Personnel Payroll Info System (IPPIS) fee platform, it’s but to be applied.
It might be recalled that ASUU had issued a recent ultimatum to the Federal Authorities to promptly deal with these excellent points which have encumbered the event of Nigerian universities.
Based on ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, the discover for an impending showdown has change into essential following a complete overview of the outcomes of the union’s earlier engagements with the federal government.
Though each events have met just a few occasions, talks have, nevertheless, led to a stalemate, as they did not arrive at a center floor.
It was gathered that whereas the federal government is asking for extra time, the union is insisting that it has already proven adequate endurance, which has been exploited by the federal government.
A supply, who attended a number of the conferences involving each events, stated that regardless of the institution of a joint committee aimed toward resolving the excellent points, no tangible progress has been made.
“The federal government is now requesting a major period of time to totally deal with ASUU’s calls for, however the union stays adamant that its endurance over the previous 16 months has not yielded any significant outcomes.
It lamented that the federal government’s extended delay in assembly its calls for has been unjustifiably prolonged, and its members can now not afford to attend indefinitely for actions to be taken.
Talking at a press convention final month, Minister of Schooling, Prof. Tahir Mamman, attributed the delay in reaching a standard floor to bureaucratic bottlenecks on the workplaces of the Accountant Normal of the Federation and the Ministry of Finance.
However in a last-minute effort to placate the union, the federal government has directed the exclusion of third-party analysis grant funds of federal universities and analysis establishments from the Treasury Single Account.
In a letter from the Nationwide Universities Fee (NUC) to vice-chancellors, Mamman, conveyed the president’s directive to the Coordinating Minister of Finance and Nationwide Economic system, Wale Edun, mandating the exemption.
The directive additionally granted universities and analysis establishments the autonomy to function their endowment fund accounts in business banks.
Talking with The Guardian on the difficulty, a authorized practitioner and Lead Director of the Centre for Social Justice, Eze Onyekpere, stated that with out proof of monetary struggles, the Federal Authorities ought to honour ASUU’s legit claims by assembly its obligations, or by explaining intimately, why it will probably’t.
Onyekpere maintained that if any of these claims by ASUU should not unlawful, the federal government ought to meet its obligations to keep away from disagreeable penalties within the Nigeria College System (NUS).
“Why can we make apologies for a authorities that retains borrowing? Did the federal government not inform us that it has elevated income when it eliminated the gas subsidy? Has it printed any stories exhibiting that it’s not making sufficient cash? If there is no such thing as a official report indicating that the economic system is down, or that we’re borrowing to fund budgets, then, I see no purpose why the federal government mustn’t meet its obligations.”
Osodeke, in an interview with The Guardian, hinted {that a} Nationwide Govt Committee (NEC) assembly could be convened on the expiration of the ultimatum.“When the deadline expires, we are going to name our colleagues for a gathering, temporary them and they’re going to resolve on the subsequent line of motion. Our union takes a bottom-up method not top-bottom,” he stated.
When contacted, the Director of Press and Public Relations on the Federal Ministry of Schooling, Folasade Boriowo, confirmed that no date has been fastened for the subsequent assembly.
Curiously, regardless of the probability of some disagreeable actions by ASUU, Boriowo, in an announcement, said that the negotiations have witnessed “important progress.”
Within the assertion titled: “Progress report: Schooling Revitalisation Efforts,” the director stated: “The Minister of Schooling, Prof. Tahir Mamman, addressed ASUU members, acknowledging the collective efforts in direction of revitalising the schooling sector. Whereas important progress has been made, the minister emphasised the necessity for additional collaboration and knowledge gathering to handle excellent points.
“A joint committee, established to deal with essential issues, has made notable headway, with worthwhile contacts and knowledge trade. Nevertheless, extra work is required to finalise selections and transfer ahead with concrete steps.”
Mamman expressed gratitude to ASUU members for his or her dedication, endurance, and sacrifices, and reiterated the significance of continued collaboration to resolve urgent points within the nation’s instructional system.
In the meantime, the union, by the College of Abuja (UNIABUJA) department, stated that it’s nonetheless awaiting formal communication from the nationwide physique on the subsequent line of motion.
Chairman of the UNIABUJA Department of ASUU, Dr Sylvanus Ugoh, stated: “The nationwide president will talk with members on the subsequent line of motion on the expiration of the deadline.
Additionally, his counterpart in Nasarawa State College Keffi, Prof. Samuel Alu, stated {that a} Nationwide Govt Council (NEC) assembly could be held after the expiration of the ultimatum.
A number of college students who shared their issues with The Guardian expressed deep fear and frustration, stressing that one other industrial motion would additional cripple educational actions, inflicting irreparable harm to their instructional pursuits.
They feared that the strike would result in a major lack of studying time, inflicting them to fall behind their friends and doubtlessly miss essential deadlines for commencement, scholarships, and different alternatives.
Additionally, they had been involved {that a} recent strike would exacerbate the already difficult studying surroundings, resulting in decreased morale, elevated stress, and a diminished total educational expertise.
Ese Eboigbe, a 400-level Enterprise Administration scholar on the College of Abuja, stated: “I’ve already suffered the results of a number of months of strike, watching helplessly as valuable time slipped away from my educational calendar. Extended industrial motion has not solely disrupted my studying but additionally put my prospects in danger.
“That’s why I’m urging each ASUU and the Federal Authorities to place apart their variations and discover a center floor”.
On his half, Joshua Onweh, a scholar on the College of Ibadan (UI), referred to as on each events to prioritise the pursuits of scholars.
“It’s crucial that they work collectively to resolve their points and save public universities from collapse. I implore each events to prioritise the pursuits of scholars and discover a answer that may preserve us in school, making certain that we are able to full our schooling with none additional interruption,” Onweh said.
A senior lecturer on the College of Ibadan, who pleaded anonymity, lamented that the final time salaries of lecturers had been reviewed in Nigeria was 13 years in the past, which knowledgeable why ASUU is adamant in regards to the 2009 settlement, which stipulated welfare package deal for lecturers, their entitlements, and the way their salaries must be reviewed every now and then, amongst others.
