Why we will continue strike -ASUU

The hierarchy of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has insisted that the strike embarked upon by the its members will continue because accepting what the government was offering would only be postponing the evil day because the amount would continue to mount.

Chairman, ASUU, Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), Dr Nsing Ogar accused the government of insincerity. He said the N100 billion the government is paying now should have been released in April last year – with an additional N400 billion this year. He said by 2015 the amount released should be N1.3 trillion.

He said: “Last year, there was an agreement between the government and ASUU that N100 billion would be injected into the university system to upgrade facilities. It was supposed to be released immediately. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in January 2012 and by April that sum of money was supposed to have been released. Also in that MoU there was an agreement that in 2013 another N400 billion would be released. Then in 2014 another N400 billion. Then in 2015 another N400 billion. That makes N1.3 trillion to upgrade facilities in the university system. We had tried to talk with government to ensure that these amount were released, they did not accept and that is why we are on strike. And if in 2013 they are releasing N100 billion, there is a shortfall of N400 billion, they have not told us, what next would happen in 2014 and 2015.”

On his part, Dr. Abdulkadir Mohammed, the branch ASUU chairman, Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil, said members were irked that the N100 billion was recycled from the universities’ funds.

He said: “Even the N100 billion that the government is talking about, there is a recommendation of the Technical Committee on how the N100 billion should be disbursed, that has been breached by government. Secondly, Nigerians should know the source of the N100 billion because our MoU with the government clearly stated that this money should be sourced outside state fund; that government should scout for the N1.3 trillion from other sources outside the Tertiary Education Trust Fund but we realised that the government is trying to do now is to go and block all the money in the state fund, mop it up and channel it into financing the recommendation of the need assessment and that is also not acceptable.

“The union would not accept the effort by the government to mop the money belonging to universities within the Education sector for this purpose. The agreement is that they should scout for money elsewhere to finance this agreement and therefore if they fail to do that, this crisis will not abate.”

Dr David Nanson Jangkam, Chairman of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) ASUU Chapter, said the N30 billion the government paid as earned allowances was just a third of the debt it owes the lecturers.

“Let me tell you the level of insincerity of the government, the earned allowance, they are owing us is N92 billion, out of which the government has offered N30 billion, this is one-third of what they are owing us. Regarding the so called N100 billion they claimed to have approved for need assessment, they are taking that fund from the TETFund, which means they are robbing the university to pay the university,” he said.

Information from The Nation newspaper was used in this report.

'ASUU will continue strike till FG gets money’

The Academic Staff Union of Universities will sustain its ongoing strike until the Federal Government gets the money to meet its demands, an ex-officio member has said.
The immediate past chairman of the union at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Aloysius Okolie, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Nsukka, Enugu State on Friday that the government should not allow a total collapse of tertiary education in the country.

Okolie said that no country had attained enviable height economically and technologically without adequate funds for the education sector.

He said the sector remained the engine room of national development.

“The National Assembly and some executive members are paid jumbo salaries but when it comes to education funding the government has no money.

“How will the country be able to achieve its vision 20:2020 of being among the 20 leading economies if the education sector is not well-funded,’’ he asked.

The former chairman solicited the understanding of the students and their parents, saying the union’s demand was to ensure quality teaching and learning in the universities.

“It is unreliable that in some universities student receive lectures under the trees and in stadium.

“Books, laboratory equipment in our libraries and laboratories are outdated while some politicians and government officials are wasting money in building houses in every state capital and buying fleets of exotic cars.

“The demands will enable the universities to produce quality graduates employable in any part of the world,’’ he said.

Information from NAN was used in this report.

We can’t meet ASUU demands- FG

The Federal Government of Nigeria has appealed to striking varsity lecturers to call off the strike and allow for another round of negotiation as the government cannot honour the 2009 agreement it reached with the body.

Labour Minister Emeka Wogu stated this while briefing the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the activities of his ministry. It was at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

“We have made offer to ASUU. It is as complex as presented. Negotiation is ongoing. The National Assembly is equally involved. We believe they will soon call off the strike. I personally and passionately appeal to them to call off the strike.

It will not affect the negotiation, if they call off the strike. It is better for them to be inside than outside. Students have equally appealed to them.

I inherited an agreement signed by the Federal Government with ASUU and that agreement is practically impossible for any administration to implement. We are still discussing with them. If I leave here, I am going to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) where we are meeting with them. I hope that very soon, we will resolve it.”

The nine-point agreement the government entered into with ASUU include: funding requirements for the revitalisation of Nigerian universities; Federal Government’s assistance to state universities; establishment of NUPEMCO; and progressive increase in annual budgetary allocation to the education sector to 26 per cent between 2009 and 2020.

Other components of the agreement are: payment of earned allowances; amendment to the pension/retirement age of academics non professorial cadre from 65 to 70 years; and reinstatement of prematurely dissolved Governing Councils.

Also included in the agreement are: transfer of Federal Government’s landed property to the universities and setting up of research development councils and provision of research equipment to laboratories and classrooms in the nation’s universities.

ASUU: strike continues

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted that the ongoing academic strike in the nation's universities will continue until the Federal Government meets the union's demands.
The Coordinator of the Ibadan Zone of the union, Dr Adesola Nassir stated this at a news conference at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Wednesday.

``We as members of the ASUU Ibadan Zone, comprising University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Lagos State University, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and Tai Solarin University of Education, have resolved to remain on strike.
This we are doing along with our other colleagues nationwide, for as long as it takes the government to be faithful to the implementation of the agreement and commence the process of renegotiating the 2009 agreement.
This is not meant to inflict undue pains on our students, which also includes our members, wives and children, parents and other primary interests.
We cannot continue to relegate the education of our children by devoting a paltry 8.5 per cent of our budget even when most African countries spend about 20 per cent on the average.
We therefore call on parents, students, progressive organisations and all other stakeholders to join our union in the struggle to free our universities and society from the claws of mis-governance, neglect and outright repression,’’ he said.
He said that the government must invest heavily in education if it truly desired a country that would be respected among the comity of nations.
Mrs Oluwakemi Fapojuwo of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, added that, ``What we are saying is that government must show enough commitment about this our system to a substantial level so as to turn around the universities".

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.

ASUU begins indefinite strike over allowance

51 of the 53 branches of Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) has agreed to embark on an indefinite strike action following the Federal Government‘s failure to honour the Academic Earned Allowance (AEA) which formed a component of the 2009 Agreement government signed with the union.

 ASUU chairman University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter, Dr. Karo Ogbinaka, who spoke with reporters at the end of the union meeting, held at Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago-Iwoye in Ogun State noted that the action is painful but inevitable.  

He lambasted the FG’s dilly dallying in meeting with the 2009 agreement.

Ogbinaka said the highest AEA is not more than N12, 500 per month and that it includes allowances paid as part of excess work load responsibility allowance, and allowance for supervision of Post Graduate Programmes for lecturers, head of department (HoDs), Deans and exam officers etc,.

The National Executive Committee of the Union met at Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago-Iwoye in Ogun State on Sunday.