The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has given the federal government a 14-day ultimatum to resolve all pending issues between the union and the government or risk industrial action. In a statement signed by the National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, and made available to newsmen on Wednesday, the union said the new ultimatum followed a 21- day deadline given the government on August 18 this year after its National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State. ASUU said it had reviewed the response of the FG to its earlier deadline and could see the levity with which the government takes issue relating to university education in Nigeria. “The leadership of ASUU met to review government’s response on Thursday, 19th September 2024. We noted, with regrets, that government’s failure to fully implement the Memoranda of Understanding/Actions (MOUs/MOAs) arising from the FGN/ASUU Agreement of 2009, particularly between 2013 and 2020, had continued to exacerbate crises in public universities.
“In particular, government’s failure to conclude the renegotiation of the FGN-ASUU Agreement that has lingered for upward of seven years, and implement the Agreement, has not helped matters especially given the current economic realities in the country. Government’s wage awards should not and cannot replace the finalisation of the draft FGN-ASUU Agreement package which was etched on collective bargaining principles. “Also, the government’s refusal to address non-monetary issues such as the removal of universities from IPPIS, despite a presidential directive and a court order, is deeply concerning. In 2020, ASUU responded to the government’s challenge to provide an alternative and more efficient payment platform by developing the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), a purely homegrown technology solution. However, the government has refused to accept this alternative despite its superiority to IPPIS. Furthermore, the government’s failure to implement the recommendations of visitation panels and amend the National Universities Commission (NUC) Act to prevent the proliferation of public universities, despite claiming a lack of funds to support existing institutions, is not only alarming, but embarrassing. When it suits their interests, government agents expressly amend old laws and pass new ones without much ado.
However, the same political elites ignore ASUU’s consistent demands for quality university education and treat the country’s scholars like 16th-century slaves in their rabid pursuit of bountiful dividends of “contractoracy” and constituency projects. What has become clear from recent engagements is that the current government has continued with the old antics, characterised by bureaucratic bottlenecks, time-buying tactics, denial of documentations, and lack of budgetary provisions, to confound and complicate matters. It is a fact that funds were allocated for payment of EAA and revitalization of public universities in the 2023 budget. It is also true that the Presidential directive on moving academics out of the IPPIS platform has not been heeded for close to one year! Our union shall not sit idly and watch agents of government undermine its resolve to cater for the welfare of its members and protect the integrity of the university system through these and similar acts of provocation.
“Information available to ASUU does not support government’s claims of insufficient funds, but points squarely to deficit of political will. The substantial inflows from subsidy removal and devaluation of the Naira, translating to the humongous monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements to the three tiers of government make nonsense of the outlandish claims. Elementary economics suggests that Government does not prioritise the welfare and well-being of Nigerian academics; otherwise, the prolonged engagements with ASUU should have yielded fruitful outcomes for stability and industrial harmony in the Nigerian University System. We reiterate our firm belief in the principles of dialogue and collective bargaining, as enshrined in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, for resolving all issues. This is why ASUU has been consulting leaders of thought, including former presidents, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and the leadership of the National Assembly, on how to peacefully resolves the lingering issues to the benefit of Nigeria’s public university system and the nation at large.
“However, the government’s continued use of empty promises, non-committal attitude, and delay tactics is fanning the ambers of crisis in our public university system. Therefore, we call on all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the government to address these outstanding issues in line with the African Union’s strategy of using the path of quality and accessible education towards realising the AU agenda 2063. This is especially as 2024 has been declared the African Union Year of Education. The Nigerian ruling class should stop paying lip service to funding public education, which they benefited from in their days. In view of the foregoing, ASUU resolves to give the Nigerian Government another 14 days, in addition to the earlier 21 days, beginning from Monday, 23rd September 2024 during which all the lingering issues must have been concretely addressed to the satisfaction of the membership of the union. The union should not be held responsible for any industrial disharmony that arises from government’s failure to seize the new opportunity offered by ASUU to nip the looming crisis in the bud.”
