Education

UNIZIK lecturers reject FG’s salary award, declare total strike

Following the industrial dispute between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), lectures at the Nnamdi Azikwe University Awka, Anambra State, have & declared a total strike.

They also rejected the Federal Government’s award of salary to university lecturers, describing as insulting the award of 35 percent increment for professors at bar and 25 percent for other levels of academics on a take-it or leave-it basis.

Nigerian Tribune reports that ASUU had been on warning strike since Federal 14 over the re-negotiation of the 2009 FG-ASUU agreement; adoption of UTAS as a replacement for IPPIS as a payment platform, amongst sundry issues.

In a statement on Thursday, the chairperson Nnamdi Azikwe University’ s ASUU Comrade Stephen Ufoaroh, stated at a congress meeting of Tuesday that the lecturers of the university decided to proceed on an indefinite strike until all issues at stake aresatisfactorily resolved.

The lecturers’ statement reads in part: “The ASUU-NAU Congress, held on Tuesday 23, August, 2022, passed a vote of total confidence and reaffirmed support for the national, zonal and branch leaderships of the union in their management of the struggle to save the soul of public universities in Nigeria, where over 95 percent of Nigerian students study, and for being a voice for the voiceless citizens of Nigeria.

“Congress appealed to parents, students and the entire citizens of Nigeria to continue to show solidarity in this struggle to give every Nigerian youth quality education.

“The congress noted with dismay that the continued imbroglio on the current lingering industrial action, occasioned by intransigence, and lack of commitment by government (both federal and state) on the genuine demands of ASUU.

“Congress decried various intrigues and lies to malign the reputation and genuine demands of ASUU by the Federal Government, including various propaganda tools, campaign of calumny, falsehood and misinformation. Congress categorically debunked the various claims of the government as lies.

“On government’s negligence and repudiation of the reports of the various government’s negotiating committees (The Professor Jibril Munzali Committee of May, 2021, and the just-concluded Professor Nimi Brigg’s Committee, ASUU-NAU Congress viewed the Federal Government’s attitude as irresponsible, reprehensible and symptomatic of a divided and confused house.

The statement further stated that the, “congress observed that the award of salary negates the principle of collective bargaining, and an insult to the sensibilities of the finest intelligentsia of the nation’s human capital development.

“Congress observed that the education of Nigerians is not a priority of government; that the strike could have been avoided if government had considered education a priority.

“We wish to state categorically that at no time was the issue of salary arrears discussed with the minister, as no agreement has been reached on the important issues that necessitated the strike. This statement by the Minister is diversionary, irresponsible and condemnable.

“Congress observed that none of the genuine demands of ASUU has been given requisite attention by the FGN.

“These are: Re-negotiation of the 2009 FG-ASUU Agreement; Adoption of UTAS (which came first in the test by the Government) as a replacement for IPPIS as a payment platform; Payment of salaries arrears for academic staff; Payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA); Revitalization funds for the universities; Release of White Paper on Visitation Panels that concluded their assignment last year; and Non-proliferation of State Universities.”

“The much the Buhari-led administration has done was a promise of implementation of ASUU’s demand in 2023, when perhaps, he must have left office, thereby shifting his responsibility to the next government. Congress viewed the government promissory note as abdication of responsibility.”

The statement added that “against the backdrop of government’s intransigence and lack of commitment to reaching an agreement with ASUU on the contentious issues, after over six months of industrial action, ASUU-NAU ultimately resolved for a comprehensive, total and indefinite strike going forward, until all issues at stake are satisfactorily resolved between the union and the Federal Government.”

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