Another round of crisis may be brewing in Nigerian universities as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan, on Monday, staged a protest alleging failure of the federal government to honour agreements reached with the union.
The union members said it was palpable that the federal government had declared war against ASUU going by its failure to honour both the agreements emanating from a meeting with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila that led to the suspension of the strike on October 14, 2022 and the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement.
Carrying placards and banners, the protest led by Chairman, ASUU, University of Ibadan chapter, Professor Ayo Akinwole, spanned Faculty of Education through various faculties and the main gate of the university.
The academic staff alleged that the federal government was victimising and subjecting ASUU members to slavish funding through inadequate funding and draconian actions.
Speaking, Akinwole said the federal government was reneging on terms of the agreement reached with Gbajabiamila to include: “the government is going to sign the new salary package; payment of the withheld salaries from March to October 2022; payment of the withheld third-party deductions, including check-off dues from March to October 2022; non-victimization of ASUU members who took part in the strike.”
Akinwole said this is apart from the federal government not implementing the Memorandum of Action (MOA) signed with the union in December 2020.
Some of the MOA are: “the renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement; payment of outstanding Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and withheld salaries of 2020; the release of the white paper by the visitation panel to the universities and inter-university centres.
Akinwole said Monday’s protest became necessary due to ASUU’s conviction that the federal government “is on a mission to destroy the public universities through inadequate funding, and through its war against ASUU.”
According to Akinwole, the war against ASUU by government is deduced from, “violation and repudiation of all extant agreements reached with union; forcing the union into strike; prolonging the strike by its inaction and victimization of ASUU members for embarking on strike.”
Chairman, ASUU, UNILAG, Dele Ashiru stressed that the protest was to draw the attention of government and stakeholders to another brewing crisis in our university system.
He said the crisis is occasioned by government’s recklessness, insensitivity and refusal to obey agreements it freely entered into.
Ashiru described as fraudulent government’s subscription to ‘no work, no pay’ policy after it suspended the eight months old strike in good faith.
Ashiru said: “It may shock you to know that since 2009, university teachers in Nigeria have been receiving the same salary at a time when inflation is galloping and cost of living is getting out of the reach of mass of the Nigerian people.
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“Having suspended the eight months old strike in October, government has refused to keep faith with the agreement it entered into with university teachers in the country. Government is fraudulently and dangerously harping on implementing a fraudulent ‘no work, no pay’ policy.”
President, Student Union, University of Ibadan, Mr Adewole Adeyinka, who led students who joined the protest, said the students are displeased at how the federal government is treating its lecturers.
Adewole said the students are in solidarity with the ASUU knowing that they are the ones to bear with the kind of educational system made available.
Adewole said: “A slap on ASUU is a slap on students. A slap on students is a slap on educational system
“The way FG is treating our lecturers is the same way they are treating the entire populace of students. Our solidarity is with ASUU because education is our right, not privilege.”
Speaking on behalf of parents, Mr Remi Adeyemi asked government to change its attitude towards education and make it affordable.
Adeyemi said: “Government will come and go and there is nothing permanent. Government should change its attitude to education. They should sponsor education. If they don’t, it will bounce back on them.”
Also speaking, a former national treasurer of ASUU, Professor Ademola Aremu harped on calls for increased funding of education, to meet globally acceptable benchmark.
He described as gladdening the fact that students are on the same page with ASUU on its struggle for a better educational system.
Aremu said: “They have destroyed public primary school, also secondary, and now they want to destroy public universities. ASUU is not against students.
“When the struggle was on, they said the struggle was against the students, parents. Government should fund education more. The budget for education is less than five percent, whereas the stipulation is 26 percent.
“Hostels and classroom are jam-packed with students. Can influential personalities and public office holders enrol their wards and children in today’s schools? They are trying to enshrine culture of impunity.”
Other activists who joined the protest rally included Barrister Femi Aborishade, Abiodun Bamigboye expressed their solidarity with ASUU, asking the federal government to implement its own side of the agreement with the union.
