THE Academic Staff Union of Universities Wednesday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take urgent and bold steps to revamp the nation’s economy with a view to reducing the hardship and suffering of the Nigerian masses who voted him into office.
The lecturers also asked the Federal Government to release the outstanding N715 billion Needs Assessment intervention fund to public universities in line with the agreement reached in 2013.
President of ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, addressed news conference on the state of affairs of the nation, particularly the crisis in education sector and the continued decline in economic productivity, threatened that the lecturers would be compelled to mobilise Nigerians against the government if nothing was done to address demands of the union.
The lecturers have also demanded the immediate payment of their Earned Academic Allowance, which Ogunyemi disclosed is now to the tune of over N128 billion owed to them by the government.
He said Nigerians are hungry and was getting angry because government has failed to ameliorate the hardship and plight of the people in spite of the hue and cry across the country.
Ogunyemi said: “Since 1980s, our Union has, together with the Labour Movement, cried out that the most crucial problems facing the Nigerian- hunger, chronic unemployment, poverty, disease, absence of social welfare-are products of the inability of the rulers to deliver policies that are pro-people.
“Our Union still maintains that democracy is not equivalent to elections. The impoverished idea that democracy is competition for votes cannot explain why the majority of Nigerians are experiencing so much hardship-joblessness, hunger, stagnant medical care, insecurity of life, even after the 2015 elections.
“The serious obstacle to democracy is not the people of Nigeria. The biggest obstacle is Nigeria’s ruling class. Since the 1970s, that class has caused economic, political and social crises for people of our country.
“It ruled Nigeria as agents of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank whose main economic doctrines are: privatisation of the economy, social welfare-education, medical care, transportation, among others.
“When people are hungry, they will be angry, and when people are angry, they will be forced to take their decision,” he said.
ASUU indirectly advocated for a new party structure which will promote the ideals and principles of welfares, which the current ruling class has failed woefully to deliver.
He said what the current administration has succeeded in doing was an attempt to reverse the gains of the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan who was voted out of power in 2015 Presidential election.
Ogunyemi also argued that the Nigerian constitution amplifies welfares in Chapter 2 of the Nigerian Constitution as fundamental objectives and directive principles of State policy should be made justice-able.
He also accused its parent body the Nigeria Labour Congress of falling short of expectations in leading the struggle against the neo-liberal policies of government.
The Academic Union noted that it was time for the Nigeria Labour Movement to lead the struggle on behalf of the people of Nigeria to reject both neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism and embark upon a people’s socialist construction.
Ogunyemi said, “Our position is that no ruling class party can deliver the fundamental objectives of the Nigerian state. A people’s party, party of workers, farmers, students, professionals, intellectuals, unemployed Nigerians is needed to organise resistance to neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism”.
Meanwhile, the Union which rose from its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Moddibo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH) on 26th-27th of March where it reviewed the State of Affairs in the country, has directed its members to reject any form of half or fractional payment of salaries and non-release of subvention to State Universities with effect from the end of this Month.
ASUU President, said: “In the event that such shortfall in salaries and non-release of subvention persist, NEC, would reconvene in the earliest possible time to respond appropriately”.
Ogunyemi, lamented in spite of the warning strike embarked upon from Wednesday 16th to Tuesday, 22nd November, 2016 to press for the full implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, among other issues, nothing concrete has been done by the government.
He said since early 2016, ASUU has been complaining on the deliberate cut-back in remittances to Federal and State universities to no avail.
He said it was unfortunate that lecturers are still being paid between 60 per cent and 80 per cent of their monthly salaries in many Federal universities, with the situation in most State-owned universities moved from bad to worse.
On the N715 billion owed to universities, ASUU President, said in 2013 the Federal Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Union, which stipulated that N200 billion would be released in 2013 for massive injection of funds to reposition Nigerian public universities for global competitiveness.
“Thereafter, N220 billion was to be released for subsequent five years; adding up to N1.3 trillion by 2018. We wish to state that government has deviated from the spirit and letters of the 2013 MoU.
“As we speak, not a single kobo has been released for 2014, not to talk of 2015 and 2016. If we add the amount owed for the first quarter of 2017, it shows that the total outstanding amount for Needs Assessment Intervention Fund to about N715 billion,” he said.