Poly students protest, ask Jonathan to spend CONFAB's money on education

Hundreds of students of various polytechnics took to the streets of Lagos, on Monday, to protest the lingering strike embarked upon by academic unions in polytechnics, demanding that President Goodluck Jonathan spend the money earmarked for the National Conference on the education sector.

The placard carrying students converged at the University Of Lagos junction in the morning, to demand immediate intervention in the lingering crisis. Some of the inscription reads, “Spend money on education sector, not on National Conference”,  “Education is our right not a privilege” and “We say no to strike, we want to go back to our classroom” among others.

The strike in the nation’s polytechnics is over nine months with no solution in sight.

Poly Teachers suspend strike

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics on Tuesday suspended its 81 days old strike.

The National Executive Council of the body resolved to suspend the strike after its emergency meeting held today (16th July, 2013). The body also enumerated some conditions which the Federal Government must meet, else, another round of strike will be visited on the nation by the body.

ASUP Chairman, Dr. Chibuzor Asumogbathe said the union gave government representatives one month to accede to their demands and release the white paper on the visitation panel to Federal Polytechnics.
The industrial action had crippled academic activities in several polytechnics across the country for almost three months.

Strike: ASUU walks out on FG, NASS team

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday walked out on the National Assembly Joint Committee on Education and a Federal Government's negotiating team.

Chairman Senate  Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerijie and his House of  Representatives counterpart, Hon Aminu Suleiman had invited representatives of the Federal Government and ASUU to the National Assembly with the aim of ending the ongoing strike by the university teachers.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqquayatu Rufa'i, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof.  Julius Okojie, among others represented the Federal Government at the meeting.

However, when the ASUU delegation got to the proposed venue of the meeting,  they met the Chukwumerijie led joint Committee meeting with representatives of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) in a meeting.

While the meeting with ASUP was meant to resolve the over two months strike by polytechnic teachers, that of COEASU was meant to avert a similar action in Colleges of Education.

Notwithstanding that Chukwumerijie who chaired the meeting sent a message to the ASUU delegation to give him 10 minutes to round up the session, they stormed out of the National Assembly for being kept waiting by the Committee and the Federal Government's delegation.

The Committee was shocked on rounding up the meeting that the ASUU delegation did not heed the plea of its chairman to give it time to conclude its meeting.

Former Chairman, House Committee on Education, Hon. Farouk Lawan urged the Committee to discountenance the ASUU's action in the interest of students thrown out of school by the strike and the country's education sector.

However, a member of the Committee, Hon Jerry Alagboso described the action of ASUU as "intellectual arrogance".

He called on the leadership of the Committee to formally write to warn ASUU against such tendencies in future.

The Minister of Education, Ruqquayatu Rufa'i and the Minister of Education, Emeka Wogu did not comment.

Chairman House Committee on Education, Aminu Suleiman noted that as a former, such actions were not new in labour relations.

He called on the lawmakers to take the treatment with maturity and in the interest of the nations's education sector and the students now made to stay at home because of the strike.

Chukwumerijie said the Committee will reach out to ASUU with the aim of reconvening the meeting next week.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly Joint Committee on Education, Rufa'i and Wogu yesterday appealed to ASUP to call off their over two months strike.

Chukwumerijie promised that the Committee would work to ensure that the issues that led o the strike were resolved within the next two weeks.

National President of ASUP, Comrade Chibuzo Asomugha, said any decision to suspend the strike can only be taken at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union.

He was however not specific on when the union would convene its NEC meeting.

The committee also pleaded with the Asagha Emmanuel Nkoro-led COEASU to give it time to intervene in their industrial dispute with the Federal Government to avert the proposed strike.

Information from The Nation Newspaper was used in this report.

NANS to state position on ASUU strike on Friday

The National Association of Nigerian Students, (NANS) will come out with its position on the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Friday, its president, Mr Yinka Gbadebo, said on Wednesday.

Gbadebo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the body was still consulting on the issue.

He said that for now, they were appealing to all parties involved in the strike to find ways of reaching a compromise as students were always affected during strikes.

On the implication of the ASUU strike coming when the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) was also protesting, he said that it was not good for students to be at home for long.

“The government should at least do something for the unions because they play an important role and in the interest of the nation’s academic future, there should be a compromise.

“We are appealing to both unions to look into the plight of the students because the staying at home of the students could do damage to their future, “ he said.

According to him, though the demands of the two unions would improve their productivity and welfare, they should also consider the students.

Gbadebo said that there should be give-and-take from both the government and the unions in resolving the problems.

NAN recalls that ASUU had directed its members to embark on an indefinite strike nationwide since Monday.

The action followed the inability of the Federal Government to implement some of the issues contained in a 2009 agreement it had with the union.

ASUU also said the government had reneged on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it entered into with the union in December 2011.

ASUP has also been on strike since April– over several issues.

Information from NAN was used in this report.