... Urges Parents, Students To Join In The Battle To Salvage Nigerian Public Universities For Future Generation
From Ayobami, Ife Abeokuta
The Academic Staff Union of Universitiess (ASUU) has alerted Nigerians, particularly parents and students, that the Federal Government has no intention of ending the on - going lecturers' strike.
ASUU said that fresh facts have emerged to show that the government has deliberately been wasting the time and resources of the lecturers on meetings and engagements neither the government nor its agents is prepared for.
The Zonal Coordinator of the Lagos zone of ASUU, Prof. Olusiji Sowande, who made this known in a release provided to The Daily Crucible on Sunday, said the Nigerian public should be appalled that government team, having had series of meetings with the union, is only realising now that it has to collate pertinent data required to engage the striking lecturers.
Citing comments credited to the Minister of Labour and Employment (MoL&E), Dr. Chris Ngige, that the government side was still doing collation so that pertinent data and pending issues would be brought to the negotiation table when next they meet the union, Olusiji said this lack of preparedness informed the reason "Dr. Chris Ngige - led Government team has not been able to return to negotiating table since the last engagement with ASUU on November 4, 2020."
He urged parents, students and the public not allow themselves to be persuaded by Ngige's statement that the government could not afford to pay the conservative N110 billion naira demanded by the union for revitalization of the Nigerian public universities.
The Zonal Coordinator recalled that recently, government approved N5 billion bailout fund to operators in the aviation sector to ameliorate the harsh realities of COVID-19 on their business operations.
He also recalled that in the past the years, Nigerian government spent over N1.5 trillion as bailout for power generation and distribution companies to keep their business afloat despite privatization of the sector.
He equally reminded Nigerians that trillions of public fund were expended on commercial banks as bailout to save them from collapsing, saying if government could bailout private businesses for “Business Good,” then Nigerian public universities deserved to be bailed out too, for “Public Good."
Olusiji reiterated that ASUU is on strike majorly because of the failure of the government to fully implement the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement and February 2019 Memorandum of Action regarding timelines for release of revitalization funds for the universitiess.
Noting that the current struggle is patriotic and the union's sacrifice for the survival of Nigerian public Universities is unparalleled, he appealed to parents, students and the public to join in the battle for the soul of the Nigerian public universities as failure to do so would spell doom for the coming generation.
He stated: "The Needs Assessment Report of 2012 (an assessment funded by government itself) provided glowing evidences of the need to save the public Universities from imminent collapse. In fact the document stipulated that N1.3 trillion injected over five years would save the public Universities from collapsing.
"Government’s failure to faithfully release the
revitalization fund over the years is a deliberate attempt to allow the public Universities to collapse.
"In the interest of our students who have been at home for seven months, our Union has shifted ground from the initial insistence of a release of one tranche of N220 billion revitalization fund to demand for 50% of one tranche (N110 billion) for government to show its commitment to revitalization of our Universities.
"This is a major reason government has not been able to return to negotiation with our Union in the last two weeks.
"Parents and Nigerian students should note that our current struggle is patriotic and our sacrifice for the survival of Nigerian public Universities is unparalleled. We have gone without salaries for 5 to 7 months, we have
had to work under very harsh environment, without adequate facilities/equipment and with ever increasing student population.
"Our students who have never enjoyed learning in very comfortable environment are beginning to accept the dilapidated and crowded lecture
theatres as well as hostel accommodation as the best they could enjoy.
"Therefore, parents, students and the general public should join us in the battle for the soul of the Nigerian public Universities as failure to do so would spell doom for the coming generation.
"For the records, the issues in contention goes beyond our rejection of Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) for which our Union have developed an alternative called University Transparency and
Accountability Solution (UTAS).
Members of ASUU are on total, comprehensive and indefinite strike action because of failure of government to fully implement the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement and February 2019 Memorandum of Action which stipulated timelines for release of funds for the revitalization of dilapidated infrastructure in public Universities, payment of outstanding Earned Academic Allowances, conclusion of renegotiation of 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, setting up of Visitation Panels to Federal Universities as well as underfunding and proliferation of State Universities.
"Our Union is patiently waiting for government team to schedule a meeting and come up with meaningful and realistic proposals on
revitalization of our public Universities and other issues.
"The public and well-meaning Nigerians are equally implored to prevail on government to do the needful in ending the current strike action in the interest of our ever persevering students."
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