Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives,
has invited Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, and Adamu Adamu, minister of
education, over the strike notice issued by the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU).
ASUU had issued a three-week ultimatum to the federal
government to implement the agreement it reached with the union.
Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU’s national president, said the strike
notice became necessary due to the failure of the government to implement the
memorandum of action (MoA) it signed with the union.
Moving a motion on the matter on Thursday, Julius Ihonvbere,
a lawmaker from Edo state, said the federal government has not shown
seriousness in implementing its part of the agreement.
“The federal
government has not been quite forthcoming, neither has it attached any
consistent seriousness to the urgent need to reposition and refocus the
education sector in line with our developmental objectives,” he said.
“Incessant strikes disrupt the academic calendar and
contribute significantly to the poor quality of graduates in the country, with
far-reaching implications for national development; the strikes encourage brain
drain, migration of students abroad and low world rankings of our academic
institutions.”
The lawmaker said it was embarrassing that the federal
government has “since the last strike was called off in December 2020,
continued to pass the buck, make excuses and engage in diversions and
distractions rather than meet the terms of agreement it signed with the union”.
Contributing to the motion, Nkeirukah Onyejeocha, deputy
chief whip, said “it is very disappointing and disheartening” that the
situation has not been resolved.
“Looking at what is going on today, most of our children are
not in school because of insecurity. The government had gone into agreement
with ASUU, this agreement was not signed under duress,” she said.
“If we allow these people (ASUU) to go on strike again, do
you know how many souls will be affected? The Bible says it is wrong for you to
make an agreement and not keep your part.”
Also speaking, Ossai Nicholas, a lawmaker from Delta, said a
covenant is sacrosanct and trust is important in good governance.
“It has reached a
situation where the universities should be put on first-line charge,” he said.
“If we are doing the needful, the federal government should
provide this money within one month. COVID-19 put our children at home without
doing anything, then we are about to use our hands to put our children at home.
After the debate, the green chamber asked its committee on
education (basic and tertiary) to investigate the continuous breach of the
agreement by the federal government.
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