The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called
on well-meaning Nigerians to caution the Federal Government to honor its
agreement with the union to forestall further industrial crisis in the nation’s
tertiary education sector.
The union’s President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi made the call
in an interview with the newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.
Recall that the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC)
had at the end of its meeting at the Federal University of Technical Akure
(FUTA) in Ondo, on Nov. 4, 2018, declared a ‘total, comprehensive and
indefinite’ nationwide strike.
The strike was however suspended on Feb. 7, after series of
negotiations between the parties and other concerned stakeholders.
But Ogunyemi said on Sunday that “Government has not kept
faith with our MOA signed on February 7.
“What government ought to have done, they do not want to do
anymore. They have literally gone to sleep.
“For instance, they had promised before the suspension of the
strike, to set up visitation panel to our universities within two weeks and
three months after government has not done anything in that regard.
“At least not to my knowledge that they had put any panel in
place nor inaugurate any.
“By February 28 of this year, the government had promised to pay
the union, N25 billion part payment of outstanding arrears of the EARN academic
allowances.
“Our renegotiation with Dr Wale Babalakin had promised to
put us in a more cordial path with fair guidelines when we come back to the
renegotiation table but now, there seems to be no change of attitude on the
side of government.”
According to him, the union has a time-frame attached to
every action, hence the current call for caution on the part of the government.
He explained that the government had told the union that the
funds had been approved, but Ogunyemi said that there was a huge difference
between the approval of such funds and its implementation.
He said that three months after the said approval, the funds
were yet to get to the union.
“Our members have begun to express doubts about government’s
promise to fulfill its pledge faithfully.
“And when this pressure begins to mount there is nothing the
leadership can do because leadership must hearken to the voice of followers.
“The point is that we are not keen about disrupting the
academic calendar. What we are doing is to express our worries and carry the
public along.
“So, Nigerians must come out now and speak to government
concerning all these things raised to maintain the current precarious
industrial stability on our campuses ” he said.
He said that though the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu
Adamu had assured the union that the payment would soon be done, but he
expressed concern that time was of essence to his members nationwide.
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