•Tinubu
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Port Harcourt zone, has warned of another prolonged industrial crisis in the Nigerian education sector owing to the Federal Government’s deliberate refusal to address lingering demands.
The union said the government instead of addressing the lingering issues for the benefit of the public tertiary education in the country, had rather resorted to the same modus operandi of nonchalance and lack of sincerity towards the resolution of the contending issues, reports Daily Independent.
A statement signed by the Port Harcourt Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Stanley Ogoun, yesterday, said it was disheartening to note that the Nigerian public university system was still being held at the jugular by both the federal and state governments through their deliberate neglect.
Ogoun added that the union should not be held responsible should there be any industrial disharmony arising from the government’s failure to seize the opportunities offered by the union to nip the looming crisis in the bud.
ASUU’s Port Harcourt Zonal Coordinator stated that the current administration was exhibiting anti-public university antics similar to the behaviour exhibited by the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ogoun said, “Following government’s failure to respond, the union has given another 14 days, in addition to the earlier 21 days, beginning from Monday, 23rd September 2024, during which all the lingering issues must be addressed.
“However, typical of the Nigerian state’s attitude towards addressing issues of public interest, the government has resorted to the same modus operandi of nonchalance and lack of sincerity towards the peaceful resolution of the contending issues.
“Recall that this same anti-public university mindset being demonstrated by the present government was also exhibited by the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari with the former ignoble and dishonourable minister of labour and his accomplices acting as willing tools for the decimation of the public university system.
“It is disheartening to note that the Nigerian public university system is still being held in the jugular by both the federal and state tiers of government through deliberate neglect”.
ASUU further expressed regrets that public officials who were supposed to be ambassadors of public universities in the country, were sending their wards abroad for higher learning.
The union highlighted that the lingering unresolved issues include the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement based on the 2022 Nimi Briggs Committee’s Draft Agreement and the implementation of the renegotiated agreement; funding for the revitalisation of public universities, among others.
“While the universities are gasping for breath to survive, the wards of the ruling class are sent to the best of schools abroad using stolen public funds.
“For the umpteenth time, the issues in contention include: conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement based on the 2022 Nimi Briggs Committee’s Draft Agreement and the implementation of the renegotiated agreement; funding for the revitalisation of public universities, partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government’s budget; adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a replacement for the Integrated Payroll and Personnel information System (IPPIS).
“Amendment of the NUC Act to stop the proliferation of universities by federal and state governments; release of unpaid salaries for staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments affected by the IPPIS; payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), partly captured in the 2023 Federal Government’s budget; withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries due to the 2022 strike action; outstanding third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions; implementation of the reports of visitation panels to universities; and illegal dissolution of governing councils.”
