From Msurshima Andrew, Makurdi
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nsukka Zone, (ASUU-Nsukka), has stated that only the federal government can avert the looming industrial crisis in the public universities and secure the future of the youth and nation.
The zone has called on the federal government to let good conscience prevail on the negotiations by being sincere in its discussions with their leaders and committed to an immediate resolution of the issues in contention.
ASUU-Nsukka Zone comprises of the Benue State University, Makurdi (ASUU-BSU), Enugu State University of Technology, Enugu (ASUU-ESUT), Federal University Of Agriculture, Makurdi (ASUU-FUAM), Federal University, Lokoja (ASUU-FULokoja), Federal University, Wukari (ASUU-Wukari), Kogi State University, Anyigba (ASUU-KSU) and University of Nigeria, Nsukka (ASUU-UNN),
The union in a statement signed by the Zonal Coordinator, ASUU-Nsukka Zone, Raphael Amokaha and made available to newsmen in Makurdi on Wednesday, said it has stretched beyond breaking point in its bid to avert another protracted nationwide strike.
They lamented that while it was trying without success to bring government back to the negotiation table, government has displayed lack of commitment and sincerity.
Amokaha said government agents have been lackadaisical in their approach, non-committal in utterances and evasive in holding meetings that would thrash out the issues which have lingered for many years.
He mentioned some of the issues to include the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, based on the Nimi Briggs Committee’s Draft Agreement of 2021, release of withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries due to the 2022 strike action, release of unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments affected by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and the release of outstanding third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions among others.
Amokaha stated that the way to avoiding the strike which was imminent and secure the future of the youth is for government to let good conscience prevail and not convening a national youth confab that would only cater for an insignificant number of the youth across the country.
He stated that “The Union has bent backwards to avoid industrial disharmony in our public universities by seeking an amicable resolution of the issues in contention. As it is well known, we were forced into the 2022 strike by government.
“ASUU-Nsukka zone is dedicating this press release to the efforts our union has made to avert crisis in our public universities. The issues in contention are no longer news. What we believe is news is that we have been trying to get
government to return to the negotiation table, but government agents prefer to dribble our leaders using frivolous excuses each time a meeting is scheduled.
“This lack of commitment and sincerity on the part of government must stop. We wish to put it on record that government agents have been lackadaisical in their
approach, non-committal in their utterances and evasive in meetings.
“Government through its agents have chosen delay tactics over sincerity of purpose. All the zones in our union have contributed in these appeals to government to come back to the negotiating table even as we brief Nigerians through the media of our travails so that public spirited individuals may intervene too.
“ASUU-Nsukka Zone wishes to declare its implicit confidence in the national leadership of our union to continue to lead us on the path of selflessness and
commitment to a better university system and a better country.
“This will be the second time ASUU-Nsukka Zone will be briefing Nigerians on the travails of our union at the hands of government this year. ASUU-Nsukka zone is of the firm conviction that our union has done everything sensible and possible to avert any further disruptions of academic activities in our public universities and we are making this last ditch effort that public hearted individuals and all concerned citizens will lend their voices to our efforts
to seek an amicable resolution of the concerns and agitations of our union”, the Coordinator states.
Touching on the state of Nigerian universities, Amokaha observed that “From the foregoing, nothing has changed for the universities and staff of the universities in the last fifteen years. All the efforts of our union to halt the decay and revitalize our universities have been frustrated by government. The efforts to better the lot of our members has equally been frustrated.
“In his address, there was copious reference to a month long youth confab that government was planning ostensibly as a way of giving our youth direction to a bright future. If we may ask though, can a one month confab compare to four years of steady academic calendars of quality education in securing the future of our youths and our nation? Can this ‘noble’ confab intended by government
accommodate one tenth of the youth population in our public universities, bearing in mind that there are over 70 public universities, with a minimum of 4000 students each with some having as many as 60 to 100 and 20,000 students? Our opinion is no.
“If the government cares about our youth, if the government cares about the citizenry, if the government cares about a better Nigeria, the first thing to do is
to take education seriously, let good conscience prevail, commit to sincere discussions with our leaders and to an immediate resolution of the issues in contention.”
