By Udodirim Oti, Awka

The Academic  Staff Union of  Universities (ASUU), Nnamdi Azikiwe University Chapter, yesterday marched in protest over unpaid wages, breached agreements with governments  and proliferation of universities in the country, among others.    During the protest, the members chanted solidarity songs with their leadership for championing their cause and interest while displaying placards within the university premises.

Some of the inscriptions in the placards read: “Stop Suffocating University Lecturers,”   “Pay Us Fairly,” “FG, Stop Deceiving Nigerian Lecturers,” “We Deserve Better Pay,” “We Teach, We Deserve Our Pay.”

Addressing the press shortly after the protest march, the Chairman of ASUU-NAU Chapter, Comrade Kingsley Ubaoji hinted that the idea to limit the protest to the premises of the institution was to avoid a situation where infiltrators would hijack it and breach law and order.

Ubaoji  observed that the Federal Government under the Bola Tinubu administration is yet to engage fully with the union to address all outstanding issues with ASUU decisively.

Ubaoji who spoke in company of his executives also listed other demands to include Renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, implementation of the Prof. Nimi Briggs Report; funding for the Revitalisation of Public Universities based on the FGN-ASUU MoU of 2012, 2013, and the MoA of 2017 and release of the 3½ months of the withheld salaries

According to him, the Union is desirous of release of unpaid staff salaries on sabbatical, adjunct, etc., due to IPPIS, release of third-party deductions, implementation of UTAS in place of IPPIS, implementation of the Reports of the Visitation Panels, illegal dissolution of Governing Councils in Federal and State Universities and proliferation of public universities

The others, he noted, were partial payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and  non-victimisation of devoted union members and other victories which were made possible by ASUU struggles and strike actions.

The Unionist revealed that the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement has been a recurrent decimal in all ASUU industrial actions since 2009, lamenting that “no  government had taken the renegotiation seriously, but during the life of the past administration, negotiation came to a conclusion with the Nimi Briggs Committee.”

“A document was produced, but the minions in the corridors of power refused to pass it on to the then President for his consideration and approval. Since then no tangible outcome has been recorded in spite of the constructive recommendations of the Committee.”

In this respect, he said the union, therefore, was demanding that all renegotiations of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement be rounded off based on the Nimi Briggs Committee resolutions.

He disclosed that the salaries of Academics in Nigeria have not been reviewed since 2009 to the point that, for over 14 years, they have been on a static salary structure despite the country’s increasing inflation rate

He maintained the stand of the Union that “based on the FGN-ASUU Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of 2012 and 2013 and the Memorandum of Action (MoA) of 2017, the revitalisation of our public universities remains a top priority if Nigerian universities and academics would remain competitive.”

The ASUU boss called on the Tinubu-led Government “to do the needful by reversing its decision on the University Governing Councils dissolution,” noting that the “union maintains that the proliferation of public universities without provisions for adequate funding and infrastructure does not augur well for our university system.”

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has appealed to private individuals and philanthropists to support the government in funding education in Nigeria.

He made the call at an event in Abuja honouring Emeka Offor and his wife, Adaora Offor, who were awarded honorary doctorate degrees by the University of Nigeria Nsukka and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

The minister acknowledged the government’s significant spending on education but emphasised the need for private sector support.

He praised the Offors’ foundation for their contributions to education and urged others to emulate their example.

The event recognised the Offors’ philanthropic efforts, particularly in the education sector, and their commitment to supporting the development of Nigeria’s educational system.

“The ministry is encouraged by this kind of recognition because the government cannot finance education alone, just as it has contributed a lot.

“That is why people like Emeka Offor and her wife have stepped in, and what they are doing should be encouraged by others. I believe this is an excellent example of resources well used and I urged others to take a cue from what they have done,” Mamman said.

The couple, through the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF), created an endowment fund of N150 million for research and scholarly enterprise in the faculties of business administration and social science at UNN and NAU, respectively.

While UNN received N100 million for research activities and scholarly enterprise that will impact the Faculty of Business Administration, NAU received N50 million for the welfare of widows, children with special needs, and other vulnerable members of society.

The Minister commended the donors for their kind gesture, expressing the hope that the endowment funds would be judiciously used for what they were meant for.

“The good thing is that the endowment is tied to particular activities in the universities; there are clear terms for usage and I believe that the institutions will utilise the money,” he added.

Mr Mamman urged philanthropists and kind-hearted individuals to also invest in the federal government’s Safe School Initiative to protect schoolchildren from attacks and other forms of violence.

The celebrant and donor, Emeka Offor, said the endowment funds would be restricted, and the principal sum would be held in perpetuity unless otherwise decided by SEOF and the universities.

Mr Offor said the earnings from the invested assets would be expended according to the donor’s specifications, i.e., funding of research and scholarly enterprise in the Faculty of Business Administration and Social Science of both universities.

“This gesture is our desire to support higher education in Nigeria and strengthen the bond of friendship between the SEOF and the UNN/NAU.

“By creating opportunities just like we have done for these universities, you are reducing the suffering of the masses by creating opportunities for the youths to get the right job.

“We gave those monies as endowment funds and there are conditions attached for their usage; what that means is that the funds will be invested in high-yielding portfolios, not risky ones.

“We don’t want to hear that the money was lost in a bank because they were looking for higher yields; what we want from this N150 million is to remain in the university system to support research and encourage professional exchanges with other countries to acquire knowledge.

“The principal sum shall be maintained on a high-yielding but legitimate investment platform wherein SEOF and UNN/NAU shall nominate the signatories. “There shall be a committee to be set up between SEOF and UNN/NAU to manage the funds and take decisions as appropriate,” he said.

Mr Offor added that there must be a status report made available by the committee to both parties every 12 calendar months.

Romanus Ezeokonkwo, the acting vice chancellor of UNN, assured that the funds would be judiciously used.

He said the donors mentioned what they want to do with the money and we will follow it judiciously and there will be no diversion.

“It will be used to do what it was meant for, I assure you that.”