ASUU strike: Stakeholders must prevent reoccurrence
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has decided to call off its eight month old industrial action, even though it has found its demands unsatisfactorily met by the government.
The union suspended the protracted strike in compliance with an appellate court’s judgment, coupled with an appeal by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The suspension of the strike action has come with a sigh of relief from both students and their parents. Though, some have frowned at the loss of almost an academic session. In one way or the other, the students have been counting their avoidable losses.
Many parents have expressed happiness that after all, their children would be going back to school. They have called on the government to take preventive measures to forestall a reoccurrence.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige in his response promised that the government would ensure that Nigerian tertiary institutions do not experience such disruptive strikes any more, adding that the Industrial Court would resolve the substantive issues remaining between ASUU and the government.
In his words, “It is our hope that now that the strike has been called off, the National Industrial Court will deal with the substantive issues as contained in the referral letter by the Honourable Minister. This is to ensure that justice is given to all parties including ASUU and their employers- the Federal Ministry of Education who acts on behalf of the federal government.”
For six consecutive months, ASUU and the Federal Government could not broker a peaceful resolution over the matter. This made the Federal Government to approach the Industrial Court seeking an order for the union to suspend the strike while the suit is being heard. The court consented to this, ordering the university teachers to go back to work. The union went ahead to seek redress from an Appellate Court owing to dissatisfaction with the Industrial Court’s order. The Appeal Court upheld the order of the Industrial Court by saying that they should go back to work.
The Labour Minister on behalf of the government has tendered apology to all students, parents and all Nigerians for the unduly prolonged strike. But some people feel that apology can never restore what has been lost or destroyed. So also, he appreciated all Nigerians who participated in various ways in negotiations that led to the eventual suspension of the strike.
The lecturers have gone back to work not because they love to do so, but, “as a law abiding union and in deference to appeals by the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria… and in recognition of the efforts of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and other well meaning Nigerians, ASUU NEC resolved to suspend the strike action embarked upon on 14th February, 2022.”
Obviously, ASUU remains unsatisfied, “while appreciating the commendable efforts of the leadership of the House of Representatives and other patriotic Nigerians who waded into the matter, NEC noted with regrets that the issues in dispute are yet to be satisfactorily addressed.”
With this stance, there is fear from some quarters that ASUU may revert back, which must be prevented. We have had it too many. And, the way out of this is a holistic approach.
It has been argued that government can no longer bear the burden of funding tertiary education all alone. There should be a rethink of the whole idea of education funding to include all grade levels in participation of all actors, universities working hard to generate revenue internally, to attract access grants, to attract endowments and through the IGR, to work towards self sustenance. Our tertiary institutions should be granted autonomy. All this idea of free tuition must be looked into.
Meanwhile, the lecturers have insisted that they must be paid even for those eight months they were out of service. No one is asking who will compensate the students for their losses, the emotional and psychological trauma they have suffered by the reasons of the strike.
Now that the strike is called off, we advise ASUU to devise another means of channelling their grievances other than strike action. Even the issue at hand, the union and the government should take measures, that would bring about permanent solution to this incessant face off. If there are things the government should hands off, let it do without hesitation. In fact, we suggest that our tertiary institutions should be granted autonomy, by so doing, it would reduce their overdependence on the government financially. We cannot afford to witness yet another round of industrial action as the body language of the union is suggesting. Again, both parties should and must respect and obey the court’s ruling by the time it delivers its verdict on the matter. Another strike would only subject us to more ridicule before the outside world, for the fact that our academic certificates are scarcely recognized, owing partly to all these incessant but avoidable industrial actions.
