- Says FG Pays Lip-Service to University Education
By Time Nigeria
The Academic Staff Union of Universities in Nigeria (ASUU) on Monday commenced nationwide indefinite strike owing to the Federal Government’s failure to fulfil the 2009 agreement made with the union. The position of the union was made known by its president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, at a news conference in Abuja today.
ASUU President said the decision to embark on the industrial action was resolved at its emergency National Executive Council meeting held on Aug. 12.
The Union also expressed its disappointment in the way Federal Government has continued to pay lip-service to university education in Nigeria.
According to Prof Ogunyemi, “It is disappointing that despite the prime importance of university education, the political class in Nigeria has continued to pay mere lip-service to addressing to lose the little gains achieved from the struggles of ASUU,”
Prof. Ogunyemi said, “There shall be no teaching, no examination and no attendance of statutory meetings of any kind in any of our branches till government meets the union’s demands “. He added that the industrial action actually took effect from Aug. 13.
“The foundation of development of any nation lies on its attention to education. No nation can grow beyond the level of its educational development.
”Any genuine move to transform Nigeria into an economically viable and politically stable country must begin with a firm commitment to an all-round transformation of the country’s education.
”ASUU has been vociferous on the primacy of the university education system because it is the repository of ideas for invention, innovation and national transformation.
The ASUU president maintained that the Wale Babalakin-led committee set up by the Federal Government lacked the powers to resolve the issue as there were unimplemented items in the 2009 agreement.
He said that government had ignored the system, stressing that the political class had also shifted attention to sending their wards to private universities and universities abroad leaving public universities in Nigeria to collapse.
”Among the issues in current disputes involved in the 2009 agreement and 2013 MOU are funding for the revitalisation of public universities and earned academic allowances.
“Others include registration of Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company (NUPEMCO), University staff school, fractionalisation and non-payment of salaries,’’ Ogunyemi said.
Ogunyemi, thereby called on all patriots to prevail on owners of public universities to be alive to their responsibilities, adding that Nigerian university system should be given the attention they deserve.
Recalled in Jan., President Muhammadu Buhari approved a 16-man committee, headed by Dr Wale Babalakin, to renegotiate the 2009 Federal Government agreement with the staff unions in the Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
The committee was constituted with a view to engendering sustainable peace and industrial harmony in tertiary institutions.
