By Ubong Sampson
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Monday, made public its threat of a fresh industrial action following what the union referred to as unfaithfulness on the part of the federal government in the implementation of the Memorandum of Action (MoU) signed by both parties upon which the last strike action was suspended.
Announcing this shortly after a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union at the University of Abuja on the 13th and 14th November 2021, the National President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, said government should be held responsible if they fail to address the issues within three weeks.
The union lamented that despite opening up for roundtable engagement with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige earlier in October 2021, on the major outstanding issues including funding for revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) promotion arrears, renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, and the inconsistencies in IPPIS payment, the issues are still lingering.
“ASUU is fully committed to upholding academic integrity in our universities and working to make them more globally competitive. We are equally committed to promoting industrial harmony in the Nigerian university system for as
long as all stakeholders are willing and committed to play their parts.
“We call on all Vice-Chancellors, as the main drivers of the system, to join us in this mission to safeguard the waning image of our universities. They have no business trading honorary degrees and academic positions for personal and immediate gains; thereby smearing the collective integrity of committed scholars and other patriots who are working day and night to uplift the system that produced them.
“Our union shall not shy away from taking the fight to administrators of Nigerian universities as well as internal and external agents who are and external agents who are bent on compromising the standard ASUU has consistently laboured to protect and improve.
“Finally, we call on all patriotic Nigerians and lovers of Nigeria to prevail on the federal and state governments to act fast to prevent another round of industrial crisis in Nigeria’s public universities.
“It is painful that our Union may soon have no other way of securing the implementation of FGN-ASUU collectively bargained agreements and redressing the criminal neglect of welfare issues of our members by State Governors. Governments of
Nigerian should be held responsible should ASUU be forced to activate the strike it patriotically suspended,” Osodeke said.
Meanwhile, the union said it is not convinced with the appointment of the minister of communications and digital economy, Isa Pantami, as a Professor at the Federal University of Technology (FUTO) Owerri.
Recall that the ASUU chapter of FUTO recently, said standard processes was followed in the appointment of Pantami as Professor of Cybersecurity in the university following an investigation by the panel.
In reaction, however, the national union said there is something wrong with the appointment of Panatami.
“The controversy this appointment has generated is unprecedented in the recent history of Nigerian universities. Indeed, it has generated passionate comments and responses from individuals and groups within and outside the nation,” Osodeke added.
