ABUJA —The Federal Government,
yesterday, reviewed the seven-day ultimatum given to striking university
lecturers to resume today or be sacked as it now gave them till Monday,
December 9. This came as most members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities
remained adamant and vowed to continue with the strike until their demands were
met.
ASUU president, Dr. Nasir Issa Fagge
has also assured that once the government opens the bank account with N200
billion as requested by the union, the strike would be suspended.
Supervising Minister of Education,
Nyesom Wike, who announced the shift in the date for the compulsory resumption
of Federal Universities to Monday, December 9, said it was as a mark of respect
for the former National President of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, Professor Festus Iyayi, who died in an auto accident on his
way to a National Executive Committee meeting of ASUU.
Speaking in Abuja, yesterday, Mr
Wike said that the family of the late Professor Iyayi officially informed the
ministry of the burial rites for the late ASUU President through the National
Universities Commission, NUC, on Monday, hence the shift in the mandatory
resumption date.
He said that the Federal Government
will fully participate in the burial rites of the former ASUU President.
According to a statement by the
minister’s Special Assistant, Simeon Nwakaudu: “The decision to shift the date
of the compulsory resumption of Federal Universities for academic activities
has been taken as a result of the respect we have for the former ASUU
President”.
Wike stated that the Federal
Government took the decision to re-open the universities in the interest of
Nigerians and not to engender any form of show-down with ASUU.
He said Nigerians must appreciate
the fact that the pro-chancellors and chairmen of the Federal Universities
Governing Councils took the decision to re-open the schools, pointing out that
the Federal Government’s directive was to the vice-chancellors who are expected
to comply with the directive of the pro-chancellors.
The minister also said that the
Federal Government has already opened a dedicated account for the revival of
infrastructure in the universities, while the Permanent Secretary, Federal
Ministry of Education has signed the resolution that the Federal Government
will commit N1.3trillion into the revival of infrastructure in the
universities.
He stated that despite the repeated
misrepresentation of facts on the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, the Federal
Government had implemented over 80 per cent of the issues contained in the
document, with only the payment of earned allowances and revitalisation of
infrastructure pending.
Complying lecturers to get salary
arrears
The Executive Secretary of the
National Universities Commission, NUC, Professor Julius Okojie, who
briefed journalists in Abuja, yesterday, said the Federal Government was ready
to pay the four-month salary arrears owed academic staff who returns to work.
According to him: “Councils have
been directed to shift the resumption date to December 9. The new deadline, has
already been communicated to the Pro-Chancellors Tuesday (yesterday) morning.
“The Federal Government as an
employer of labour cannot just fold its arms while the institutions remain shut
and its clients — the students — continue to suffer.
“You cannot pay someone who has
failed to resume work. You are on strike and you want to be paid. What if some
have already left the system? Some of our very bright lecturers may have got
jobs elsewhere already.”
Okojie noted that “the
resumption order does not necessarily mean students would commence academic
activities immediately but the school environment has to be put back in shape
as reptiles may have taken over some places, and the Senate of each institution
has to revisit the academic calendar. Students would be expected to resume one
or two weeks after the December 9 resumption deadline,”.
Okojie while responding to several
issues raised by ASUU, insisted that it was a general consensus at the November
4, 2013 meeting with the President to have the Permanent Secretary of the
Education Ministry sign the resolutions reached after the meeting.
Okojie stressed that the issue of
the inclusion of a non-victimization clause as now demanded by ASUU did not
even come up at all during and after the meeting.
“Jega and Awuzie are past ASUU
chairmen. Are they not holding good positions in Nigeria today? Why would
anyone victimize someone for exercising his right? If anyone would do such a
thing, not the Jonathan government. In fact the mood that day did not reflect
such, we were all smiles and hugs. After that meeting we were all hopeful that
was the end of the crises,” he said.
He wondered why ASUU would return
three weeks later, after it had failed to get back to government on November 8
as agreed, and demand addition of new clauses.
He said: “The 2009 Agreement
stipulates that any party that wants a re-negotiation should inform the
Ministry of Labour. If ASUU had said they would resume, but the outstanding
issues must be addressed, government would have no choice,”.
On the N200 billion revitalization
fund which ASUU is demanding should be disbursed within two weeks, Okojie
diclosed that the money has been deposited in an account in the Central Bank of
Nigeria.
“The money cannot, however, be
disbursed just anyhow because they are meant for capital projects”, he said.
Okojie again appealed to the
striking union to return to work in the interest of students who he described
as the victims.
“One of the universities in Uganda
where our children are enrolling, neigbouring countries do not even accept
their degrees. Our children are going to schools with poorer degrees,” he
lamented.
ASUU gives condition for strike
suspension
Meanwhile, the President of
the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Nasir Issa Fagge, yesterday, gave
conditions for the suspension of the six month old strike. Fagge who spoke on Channels
Television, yesterday morning, said once government opens the bank account with
N200 billion, requested by the union, the strike would be suspended.
He said “once that is done, and the
committee that is supposed to disburse the funds starts working, our members
will have no reason not to suspend the strike action”. Dr. Faggie
said the union insists on documentation.
He asked: “Why won’t government make
available this money so that we know the money is there and the universities
commence drawing from this money to address the problem of decay in
infrastructure, teaching and research facilities? When that is done, our
members will suspend the strike.”
The ASUU president dismissed
insinuations in some quarters that the union had been split. On suggestions in
some government quarters that ASUU was being influenced by opposition parties,
Dr. Fagge said “ASUU is a union of cerebral intellectuals”. He said
the union is not influenced by religion, or ethnicity, saying however
that members of the union are free to associate with any political
party of their choice.
UNICAL resumes today
The University of Calabar has
announced that the university resumes today for academic activities and
directed all students who did not finish their registration to do so
immediately.
But Chairman of Academic Staff Union
of Universities, Unical chapter, Dr. James Ekprinya has warned parents that the
university is still on strike and that any one that releases his ward is doing
that at his peril.
The university in a press release by
the Deputy Registrar, Academic division, Mr. Mike Monity stated that, “Normal
Academic/Allied activities will resume tomorrow, the December 4, 2013 at the
University of Calabar.
Monity in a release said the
resumption was the decision reached at an emergency meeting of senate held at
the senate chambers of the Institution.
It further stated that “the decision
is in compliance with the directive issued by the Minister of Education” and
that details of the revised university calendar would be disclosed in due
course.
It also advised students with
pending activities like second semester registration, Final year and Post
Graduate research projects to start immediately as the school works out time
table for lectures.
The ASUU chairman, Dr. Ekpirinya
said that the congress rose from its congress with “a strong resolve to
continue the strike until the agreements are implemented to the letter.
“We did not close school, we will
not re-open it. We warn parents that any one who decides to send his or her
ward to school is doing so at his or her peril.”
Iyayi: UNIBEN ASUU vows to continue
strike
University of Benin chapter of ASUU,
yesterday, vowed to continue the current strike action and admonished President
Goodluck Jonathan to embrace dialogue with the union rather than threats.
Meanwhile, no sign of resumption of
academic activities at the university yesterday, despite the announcement by
the university authorities Monday, calling on students and academic staff to
resume duties.
When Vanguard visited
the university, it was observed that registers were opened as directed by the
Federal Government but none of the academic staff were sighted on campus.
Rather members of the ASUU and students were observed preparing for the burial
of the late former President of the union, Professor Festus Iyayi which is
scheduled for this weekend.
Some of the students who spoke to Vanguard,
condemned the Federal Government’s order that the ASUU should resume duties or
risk sack, just as they urged President Goodluck Jonathan to sack the
supervising Minister of Education, Mr Nyesom Nwike, whom they described as a
“sycophant”.
Addressing journalists yesterday,
chairman of the UNIBEN Chapter of the ASUU, Dr Anthony Monye-Emina who was
recently involved in the accident that led to the death of ProfessorIyayi,
advised parents to inform their children to stay at home, insisting that the
strike action will not be called off until the Federal Government implements
the agreements.
According to him: “We want to advise
parents not to send their children back to campus in the event of any
announcement of resumption of classes by the university administration in line
with the supervisory Minister’s directive. The union has not called off the
strike. The President should continue on the path of honour to dialogue with
the union as this is the only way to find an immediate and lasting solution to
the crisis in the university system.”
UNIJOS ASUU waits for
directives
The Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU), UNIJOS, chapter said, yesterday, that classes would only
resume in the institution if directed by the national body.
The chapter Chairman, Dr David
Jangdam told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos that the lecturers were
waiting for directives from the nation body before the five-month strike could
be called off.
“Classes will only resume if
directed by the national body,” he said. Jangdam told NAN that the decision of
the national body was final and binding on all local chapters. A correspondent
of NAN, who visited both the temporary and permanent sites of the university in
Jos reports that they were deserted.
NAN further reports that the only
visible presence was those of security personnel at the various entry and exit
points. Jangdam also rejected suggestions that the lecturers had not been fair
to university education in the country. “Nigerians should ask the leaders why
the educational sector is usually the least in their priorities,” he said.
He, however, said that the union on
Monday met with the institutions Student Union Government (SUG), at their
instance to explain its position on the continued strike.
The SUG President, Mr Ajik Magaji
told NAN that he would not comment on the outcome of the meeting for now. He
described the strike by ASUU as a huge threat to national security while
blaming the Federal Government for reneging on agreements.
Magaji lamented that the strike had
caused the students a whole session. “In UNIJOS, for instance, we lost a
complete session to strikes; some of our classmates in other schools have graduated
and we are still here,” he said.
ASUU -UNAAB warns members
against signing register
The University of Agriculture
Abeokuta chapter of ASUU has vowed not to be cowed by the sack
threat by the Federal Government, warning its members against signing the
register by the University.
Addressing newsmen, yesterday, at
the COPLANT auditorium of the University, the chairperson for ASUU
-UNAAB, Dr. Biodun Badmus said the Union would not resume as
directed by the Federal Government.
Badmus who was flanked by some
past leaders of the union in the university advised the Federal Government to
implement the agreement made with the Union for the sake of the students
in the country.
Speaking on the plans by the union
against any member that signs the register, Dr. Badmus said that
the union would not hesitate to discipline any member of the Union who
signs back to work register.
He said “ Of course, even in
the days of Jesus Christ there are Judases, it is envisaged and the union has
its practices and code of conduct and there are laid down procedures to thrash
out such areas should anybody sign back to work”.
While proffering solution to the
problem, the Union leader said “the ball is in the court of the Federal
Government, ASUU has not closed its doors to dialogue. We appeal to the Federal
Government to do what is needful. “If any meeting should be called, the
National officers of ASUU are ready to meet the government to resolve the issue
on ground”
- See more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/asuu-strike-fg-bows-extends-deadline-dec-9/#sthash.BiG23Oym.dxLQqpqB.dpuf
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