Just In: ASUU Speaks on Strike, Seeks Resumption of Negotiations
INFOMEDIA – The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Ahmadu Bello University Zaria Chapter, has appealed to the Federal Government to resume renegotiation with the union to address the salient issues contained in the Feb. 7, 2019, Memorandum of Action (MoA).
Prof. Rabiu Nasiru, chairman of ASUU, ABU chapter made the call while briefing newsmen in Zaria on Friday.
Prof Nasiru said the position of ASUU remains that conclusion of the renegotiation is a must before the suspension of the strike.
INFOMEDIA reports that ASUU declared a nationwide strike on March 23, 2020, after an emergency National Executive Council meeting.
”The public has some misgivings about ASUU’s struggle towards the revitalization of Nigeria’s university education. The struggle by ASUU over the years continues to be the bedrock that sustained Nigerian universities.
Prof Nasiru said the position of ASUU remains that conclusion of the renegotiation is a must before the suspension of the strike.
”The public has some misgivings about ASUU’s struggle towards the revitalization of Nigeria’s university education. The struggle by ASUU over the years continues to be the bedrock that sustained Nigerian universities.
“More than 85 percent of capital projects in all states and Federal Government tertiary institutions are products of ASUU struggles. It is common knowledge that the ruling class is eager to privatise every sector in this country including education.
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“If this is allowed to happen to happened common man in Nigeria will not have access to university education. Yet it appears on ASUU is seriously concerned and agitating about it,” he said.
He added that what the union was doing was a sacrifice for the common good of all.
On the reopening of universities, the position of the association was that all necessary guidelines designed by the federal government on the prevention and control of COVID-19 should be implemented before reopening.
The chairman added that ASUU maintained that the strike action remains enforced until all the association’s demands were met.
He said the strike action which according to him was in defense of Nigerian University Education has entered week 26, without any tangible effort on the part of the Government to address issues related to the strike.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highlights of the MoA include, in addition to the N20 billion for 2018, the sum of N25 billion only would be released in April/May 2019, after which government would resume full implementation of the MoU of 2013.
Others are Part-payment of the outstanding arrears of the earned academic allowances; defraying the balance up to 2018 in four tranches within 36 months; and mainstreaming further payments of EAA into the annual budgets beginning from the 2019 budget.
Other highlights are strengthening the Consultative Committee on State-owned Universities (CCSOU), inaugurated on Monday, 28th January, 2019 to look into the issues of proliferation, underfunding, and governance to consistently deliver on its mandate, acknowledgment, and appreciation of Government for facilitating the release of the final letter of approval for the granting of an operational license to NUPEMCO.
Others are visitation to all Federal Universities, provision of documented guidelines on procedures and roles of parties in the process of renegotiating the FGN-ASUU Agreement of 2009 which would begin not later than Feb. 18, 2019, and end by March 29, 2019.
