ASUU strike: Higher education threatened by inconsistencies, Govt must wake up
The overstretched threats of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to protest breaches by the Federal Government to honour its demands, eventually culminated into an actual industrial action on Monday, 14th, February, 2022, following a resolution of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Union. The outcome of the marathon meeting by members of the union’s NEC held since Saturday at the University of Lagos titled, ‘NEC for NEC’ saw the academic professionals declaring a “comprehensive and total” strike, slated to last for about a month.
Following terms, the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, at a press conference addressed on Monday had said the strike, which takes effect from Monday, February 14th, 2022, would last for an initial period of four weeks, arguing that while the union tried to avoid the strike, the Federal Government’s unresponsiveness to the union’s demands to implement the Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed with the ASUU in December 2020, was responsible for the decision.
“NEC resolved to embark on the four-week roll-over total and comprehensive strike as the government has failed to implement the Memorandum of Action it signed with the ASUU in December 2020. We invite all lovers of education to join our struggle for a greater Nigeria. Nigerian politicians keep proliferating educational institutions without prioritising education.ASUU will not relent in its historic responsibility of advocating an improved university system. This is because it holds the key to our collective prosperity and better future for our children and our children’s children; so, let us work together to fix it,” the ASUU President had said.
Recall that in the build up towards the strike, ASUU had directed its chapters across the Country to observe work-free-days which commenced a week, Monday 7th, February 2022, prior to the declaration of the strike on Monday, 14th, February 2022, to sensitise and mobilise lecturers and students across all universities to the reason the union would embark on strike.
As would be expected, reactions on the development, largely seen as unsavoury, have continued to follow course. A direct victim of the strike, Nigerian students have taken whip on both sides for their irreconcilable differences culminating into the strike. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) had in its reaction threatened to follow the decision with a protest. NANS President, Sunday Asefon, in a statement on Monday condemning the strike, had slammed the Federal Government and the ASUU leadership for failure to allow “reason to prevail, reached compromise, act responsibly in the interest of the education sector and indeed Nigeria.”
The statement titled, ‘ASUU Warning Strike: A Reckless Irresponsibility,’ signed by the NANS President, had read: “We have received the news of the decision of ASUU to embark on a month warning strike with great disappointment. We have thought ASUU and FG represented by top executives would allow reason to prevail, reached compromise, act responsibly in the interest of the education sector and indeed Nigeria, to do all that is required to responsibly avert this avoidable strike.
“We are appalled by the impunity, recklessness, and irresponsibility the managers of this negotiation from both sides of the table has managed the fragile situation allowing it to degenerate to the level of industrial action. We are therefore compelled to believe that negotiators from both sides acted so irresponsibly because of their apathy of the interest and welfare of the major stakeholder of the sector(students) during the negotiations.
“We are equally disappointed at the government for not doing everything possible to avert this embarrassment. We are also disappointed with the ASUU for reaching this conclusion irrespective of the implications to the students, academic calendar, research they claim to love, national security, and sanity. The Government and ASUU by this action sent a direct message to Nigerian students to also take positions comfortable for our side of the table irrespective of the implications. Let me say equivocally that we will respond in clear language, the language the oppressors understand.
“I passionately appeal to all students leaders, NANS structures, and organs across the nation to mobilize to our national non-elective congress on the 17th of February where far-reaching decisions shall be made on our collective response to this blatant lack of patriotism, human feelings, and feelings for the collective future of education in Nigeria. Our decisions shall be decisive, collective, and irreversible until the strike is called off. We shall fight this impunity and recklessness without any consideration other than an immediate end to this strike. We, therefore, inform the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, to expect us in our numbers, and ASUU should be ready to return to the table to end this avoidable, reckless and repugnant strike. Let me assure the Minister of Labour that our protest in his office today is introductory and child play in what is yet to come. We are resolute more than before to ensure we hold government, especially the ministry of labour responsible for these incessant strike actions. Further negotiations should as a matter of urgency have students representative as part of the parties to allow balance in decisions that are capable of impairing the lives of students and derailing their progress. The contentions and issues are triangular and must be treated so, going forward.”
Recall that in response to the mounting of threats by ASUU to resume strikes, leading to another season of academic lockdown for the institutions, President Muhammadu Buhari had urged the aggrieved stakeholders to consider the fiscal constraints of the Government. This was just as he renewed the promise of the Federal Government to honour the agreements reached with the stakeholders. ASUU had on November 15, 2021, given the Federal Government a three-week ultimatum over the failure to meet the demands. Recall that following the union’s NEC meeting at the University of Abuja on November 13 and 14, ASUU President, had lamented that despite meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, on October 14, 2021, on issues, including funding for revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution; promotion arrears, renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, and the inconsistencies in Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System Payment, none of its demands had been met. Following the threat, the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, promised that the union would be paid. A few weeks after, ASUU suspended the planned strike, as N22.1 billion earned allowances were paid to lecturers in federal universities. In December, ASUU had renewed warnings to embark on strike over alleged non-implementation of the MoA signed with the Federal Government. Addressing newsmen at the end of its zonal meeting held at the University of Ilorin, the Ibadan zone coordinator of the union, Prof. Oyebamiji Oyegoke, had called on Nigerians to intervene “at this critical moment before our members withdraw their services.
In its grievances, the Union had described as unsatisfactory the claim of the Federal Government’s on the payment of N30bn Revitalisation Fund and N22.5bn Earned Academic Allowance as a significant progress in implementing the MoA the government reached with the Union. According to ASUU, the subjects that formed the MoA is largely pronounced than the said sum.
Subjects of concern in the MoA include “Funding for Revitalisation of Public Universities; Payment of Earned Academic Allowances, Withheld Salaries and Promotion Arrears; Renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement; Inconsistencies in IPPIS Payment and University Transparency and Accountability Solution.” The fear of the disruptions that such strike would incur in the County’s education system should it take course, had informed a meeting by members of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) with President Muhammadu Buhari on February 01, 2022, in Abuja, where the later vowed the Federal Government would keep to its promises. According President Buhari, the Federal Government is committed to honouring promises made to the ASUU to prevent disruptive strikes, engender uninterrupted academic programmes and improve funding of education institutions. President Buhari who made a pledge when he received members of NIREC led by the Co-Chairs, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, in Abuja had said though challenged by fiscal limitations, the Government “remain committed to honouring our promises.” Mentioning that it was important for the Union to be cognisant of the fiscal pressures the Government is currently facing, he had urged ASUU to continue to work with the Government towards finding resolutions to the challenges confronting it.
“However, they should be cognisant of the fiscal pressures that we are currently facing. Nevertheless, we remain committed to honouring our promises. For their part, I will like to encourage ASUU to continue to work with us toward finding resolutions to the challenges that confront us. My administration is committed to this engagement and dialogue, and I urge them to stay the course toward a joint resolution in the best interest of our children and nation,” Buhari had said.
On the contested subject of the practicality of the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) or the University Transparency Accountability Solutions (UTAS), which has been a major source of dispute between both parties, Buhari had said efforts were ongoing by the appropriate bodies to see to the adoption of the alternative University Transparency Accountability Solutions (UTAS) as agreed.
In their intervention move, the CAN President, who spoke on behalf of the Council, had said the meeting with the president was on the single point of averting strikes in the universities and the challenges of ASUU, which they considered to be of national interest. According to the CAN President in the outcome from NIREC’s meeting with ASUU on Jan. 10, 2022, the university lecturers outlined that the bone of contention between the union and the Federal Government centred on eight issues. The identified issues include the inconclusive renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, UTAS, IPPIS and distortion in salary payment challenges. Also forming contentious issues were visitation panels to Federal Universities report, funding for revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowance, state universities and promotion arrears. He had submitted that with renegotiation on some of the practicality of some agreements put in place, other issues will be adequately addressed along the line. “If the renegotiation process continues to conclusion, issues that the government is not comfortable with can be renegotiated with a view to reaching only implementable agreements. We believe that with renegotiation in place, other issues will be adequately addressed along the line,” the NIREC co-chair, Ayokunle, had said.
The implementation of the MoA has been berated by stakeholders who have questioned why President Muhammadu Buhari would assign two ministers who were not privy to the agreement to oversee its implementation. Arguments have been premised on the allegation that the Federal Government was trying to dodge its responsibility by directing ministers to oversee the implementation of the MoA. The stakeholders have thus, alleged that the Federal Government is up to taking away autonomy of Universities through its designed programmes.
Recall that a nine-month old strike which commenced in March 2020, was suspended in December 2020 with the MoA, which the stakeholders have lamented had largely not been observed by the Federal Government. Upon agreements, on the 23rd December, 2020, following the MoA, reached between the Union and the Federal Government, former ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi, at a briefing to declare the Union’s resolve, had then warned that the Union would return back to strike in any case of breach of the Agreements reached. “What we have done is to give the government the benefit of doubt and that is why we have added the caveat. Should the government renege, our members are not tired of withdrawing their services,” he had said.
Rumblings over salaries have continued to add up to the grievances with vociferous lamentations. On Tuesday, 08, February, 2022, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, ASUU Chapter, lamented that academic staff of Nigerian universities are being paid what was described as “slave wage,” against the “stupendous take-home paid to National Assembly members and other political office holders.” The Union had described the Federal Government as a “deliberate serial defaulter.”
Briefing journalists, on behalf of the Union, ASUU Chairman, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, (MOUAU), Professor Chike Ugwuene, had lamented that “a professor in Nigeria university earns less than $1000 per month.”
“The salary we earn today has been a slave wage relative to the stupendous take-home paid to National Assembly members and other political office holders,” he had decried. According to him, “academic staff of Nigeria universities have been receiving the same salary for the past 13 years” following the Federal Government’s refusal to review its 2009 agreement with ASUU. Accusing the Federal Government of flouting its various agreements with ASUU, he had said: “The Federal Government is a deliberate serial defaulter in terms of honouring its agreements. The FG is in arrears of several billions of Naira in terms of the NEEDS Assessment funds and the Earned Academic Allowance.
“In spite of numerous audit reports indicating that the federal government is losing billions of Naira to IPPIS, the vultures feeding fat from the blood of Nigerian workers whose salaries are omitted, mutilated or mangled at will by the operators of IPPIS who have continued on their campaign of calumny against UTAS. The drummers (FG) are beating the drums. The dancers (ASUU) are rehearsing to take the stage. If we take the stage we will remain there. ASUU has given the FG a benefit of doubt for too long,” it further decried.
The narratives of breaches of Agreements on the part of the Federal Government on promises reached with Labour Unions in the Country over time have become a phenomenon reflective of wrong patterns of governance. The frequency of the disposition, particularly with ASUU which has been a major sufferer of such breaches, speaks ill of what good governance is. Such disposition has over the time led to showdown which were borne out of loss of confidence and trust in the Government.
The resort of Labour Unions to industrial actions with resolute disposition to remain hell bent to explore every ground to guide against being gilt by the Government, would be observed not to be unconnected with the years of breaches of Agreements which have been the grounds for orientation of distrust and loss of confidence in the Government. Having a 13 year old Agreement signed since 2009, unimplemented does not speak well to build confidence in Government. It has now become a resonating song to hear Labour Unions slamming the Government with threats of strike over breaches of long term agreements and reneging on promises.
The University system in the Country is known to be largely strained with plethora of deficiencies. The failure to honour signed agreements is inimical to achieving the objectives of demands which have been highlighted to form the basis of propelling upward development within the system. It has become lamentable that the system largely strained by inconsistencies of disturbances altering academic calendar, is set for another shut down. Such inconsistencies are known to be inimical to growth and development. The place of the quality of higher learning offered by the University system is incontrovertibly sine qua non to change the prevailing narratives of the plethora of national challenges facing the Country. The nexus between the degree of the quality of the system of education and the profile of socio-economic development remains of strong connectivity. Where the former largely suffers, the later becomes a facade.
It has become of necessity for the Government, if it’s really concerned about Nigeria’s well being, to beyond the posture of fire brigade approach of politically giving short term promises to end strike without commitment to realistically address the demands, move unto the broader perspective of developing overarching parameters of systemic responses with lasting solutions to address the long time deep-seated strains ravaging the Country’s University system.
