THE staff of Nigerian Institute for Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan, on Monday, joined other colleagues of Research Institutes and Allied Institutions in the country, to protest the failure of the federal government to advance concrete measures to resolve the issues that led to its ongoing strike declared on November 14, 2017.
The staff pointed to nonchalant attitude of the federal government to the plight of workers in research institutes evident in its inaction to the issues raised since December 7, 2017, when the leadership of the Joint Research and Allied Institutions Sector Unions (JORAISU) met with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh.
JORAISU comprises Senior Staff Association of Universities (SSAUTHRIAI), Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions (NASU).
Holding placards and rendering supplications for divine intervention in their 11 weeks old strike, the NISER staff unions, led by Mr Egunjobi Ayotunde reiterated their call on the federal government to implement the agreement reached with JORAISU in 2009.
The unresolved issues of the JORAISU/FG agreement are the payment of twelve months arrears of 53.37 percent salary increase, retirement age of 65 years for non-research staff, peculiar allowances/earned allowances, adequate funding of research institutes, establishment of a central body to be known as National Research Institute Commission (NARICOM), withdrawal of circular on non-skipping of salary grade level 10.
Elucidating, Egunjobi who is Chairman, Joint Action Committee of the unions accused the federal government of paying lip service to research for development
According to Egunjobi, the current strike was the 154th since the agitation began in 2009.
“This is not an issue making a request but the implementation of what had been approved. In the anti-corruption stance of the federal government, it must know that corruption starts from when people are poorly paid.
“We are protesting arrears of salaries that are unpaid. Since our current strike began on November 14, 2017, nothing has happened.”
“Moreover, this is the 154th strike on this issue and that is why this strike is tagged, No Retreat, No Surrender. We are not going back to work until we are paid. This is an issue that has lingered for nine years, since 2009,” Egunjobi said.”
Adding, Chairman ASURI, Mr Babatimehin Muyiwa lamented the continued exodus of researchers away from research institutes to universities due to poor funding.
“What is paramount is the poor funding of our research institutes. Universities have a TET Fund from which they can draw money for infrastructural development and capacity building while the research institutes do not have such opportunity.”
“We have asked the government to create such a fund for the research institute and this poor funding has led to the exodus of researchers away from research institutes to universities,” Babatimehin said.
Also speaking, President NASU Women Commission, Mrs Iyabo Kolapo said the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement by the federal government indicated that the country did not really value research development.
“Nobody seems ready to listen to us. There is no positive report from the government since we last met with them in December 2017. Nigeria does not see anything good in research development. There is no headway and we need serious intervention, that is, God,” Kolapo said.”