Strike: ASUU gives final warning to federal government
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have said they will not accept any plea from Nigerians to shelve the impending strike.
In a press conference at the NUJ secretariat in Yola on Friday, the Yola Zone said Nigerians should blame the Federal Government for its failure to comply with the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement.
Members of the ASUU, Yola chapter, comprising those at Adamawa State University (ADSU) Mubi, Federal University Gashua (FUGA), Modibbo Adama University (MAU) Yola, Taraba State University (TSU) Jalingo, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), and Yobe State University (YSU) Damaturu, said their decision is in the best interest of Nigerian universities.
READ ALSO: ASUU to FG – You have ignited events that Will lead to another national strike
The ASUU Yola Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Reuben Jonathan, said the Zone convened at the Modibbo Adama University in Yola on Thursday and reviewed the Memorandum of Action (MoA) entered into with the Federal Government on December 23rd, 2020, after prolonged strike action by the union.
Reuben said ASUU was displeased with nonchalant attitudes displayed by government functionaries even after countless calls to address the issues in dispute.
“Recall that in our previous press conference here in Yola on September 15th, 2021, we briefed you on the Government’s refusal and foot-dragging in implementing the said Agreement. Since then, nothing has been done by the Government to address the issues besides propaganda and blackmail.
”The issues remain: Renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement and all efforts by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the promise made to address the issue of Renegotiation have not yielded any result so far.
“The refusal of the Government to address the issue of Renegotiation has left us on the same salary for 12 years even as the Government has reviewed the minimum wage twice,” Reuben said.
On other failures of the Federal Government which ASUU holds responsible for their consideration for strike action, Reuben said, “On Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), the entitlement was to be paid at the latest in May and June 2021, but as of this moment, nothing has been released to that effect.
“Recall that our union has developed a robust and dynamic system known as the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) which is a better alternative to the pro-corruption Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
“UTAS has been subjected to and passed all the integrity tests without any shortcomings, but beneficiaries of corruption-laden IPPIS have continued to ensure that UTAS does not see the light of day, thereby subjecting our members to hardship.”
“We, therefore, call on the general public and concerned citizens to save public universities by compelling the government to honour its agreements,” said Jonathan.
Abuja zone of ASUU also addressed the media on Thursday.
Dr. Salahu Lawal, the coordinator said the Federal Government has yet to respond to its demands after the expiration of its three-week ultimatum.
He said the government by its intransigence, was paving way for another strike by the union.
He explained that the government was doing this by ignoring outstanding issues in the MoU of December, 2020, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed with the union in February 2019.
The zone comprises the Federal University of Lafia, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, and the University of Abuja.
“Our union finds it highly hypocritical for a government to freely sign MoU or MoA to get ASUU to suspend a strike and then turn around to ignore their implementation.
“More than one year since our union suspended the nine-month-long national strike, the Federal Government is yet to respond to key demands,’’ he said.
“Our demands remain the full implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement as renegotiated in 2021, based on ILO’s collective bargaining principles.
“The implementation of all outstanding provisions in the February 2021 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action.
“The immediate deployment of ASUU’S innovation of a more robust system of human resource management and compensation called the UTAS.
“Immediate payment of outstanding Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and promotions arrears to our members.
“Immediate release of the report of the Presidential Visitation Panels to federal universities in 2021.
“Immediate action on the recommendations of the Committee on State Universities,’’ Lawal added.
According to him, meeting these demands of ASUU will go a long way to address the deplorable conditions in which varsity students live and learn.
Lawal called on relevant stakeholders to impress it on the government to honour its agreement with the union to avert another likely industrial crisis in Nigerian universities.
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