The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is warming up for a fresh crisis with a call on the Federal Government to act now in its own interest and in the interest of industrial peace in the nation’s campuses.
The union said investigations in the Universities indicate that lecturers are not happy as “they teach students on empty stomachs”, conduct research in libraries and laboratories bereft of essential electronic and physical journals, books, chemicals and reagents.
The President of ASUU, Prof Christopher Piwuna, raised the concerns in a statement sent to Arise News on Saturday in Abuja titled, “Act Now To Avert The Looming Crisis.”
He said, “The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, was recently quoted to have declared that “not again ever in this country will ASUU or tertiary institutions, trade unions, teachers, lecturers go on strike”. He predicated his declaration (optimism) on government’s strategy of “dialogue, maintaining a good relationship with union heads (leaders) and meeting the demands of the unions”.
“While ASUU share his optimism about dialogue and maintaining relationships, the government needs to go beyond words and act on our outstanding issues.
“Feelers across campuses indicate that lecturers in Nigerian public Universities are, to put it mildly, not happy.
They teach students on empty stomachs. They conduct research in libraries and laboratories bereft of essential electronic and physical journals, books, chemicals and reagents.
“They engage with communities and agencies in rickety cars while encumbered by utility bills, children’s fees, house rents, family upkeep and a legion of other unmet responsibilities. Yet elite Nigerians are quick to blame the Universities for “producing unemployable graduates” and failure to initiate innovative research for addressing the country’s problems our members feel forgotten, shamed and demoralised by past and present governments.
“ASUU has ceaselessly warned owners (government and visitors) of public Universities the Federal and State Governments of the consequences of breeding a disempowered, dissatisfied, and disorientated intellectual workforce.
“At the centre of the union’s advocacy is respect for collective bargaining principles as enshrined in the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention No. 98 of 1949 and Convention No. 154 of 1981.
“The flip-flop disposition of successive governments towards collective bargaining has created an atmosphere of distrust which will take extra efforts and energy on the part of the current Federal Government to dispel.
“Nothing illustrates this antipathy better than the frustrated attempts to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, despite submission of a draft agreement by the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed committee to government since December 2024, eight clear months ago!!
“Every major dispute ASUU has had with governments since 2012, when the 2009 Agreement was due for renegotiation, emanated from failure to respect the provisions of the signed document on (i) conditions of service; (ii) funding; (iii) University autonomy and academic freedom; and (iv) other matters including the review of the laws governing the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
“Agents of government at the State and Federal levels have characteristically thrown the underlying principles of the Agreement overboard and resorted to platitudes and tokenism. They pick and choose what aspect(s) of the package to “renegotiate” and implement.
“They discountenance the morale of intellectual workers and basic requirements for delivering on their mandate of teaching, research and (community) service. And, now, we hear of attracting academics who were forced into seeking better work environment elsewhere as “volunteers” with the “Diaspora Bridge”! On what foundation will the bridge stand? Does this not amount to hypocrisy?
“Nigerian governments have distracted and deceived University lecturers for too long. They push academics to the point of a strike, and turn round to withhold their salaries. A government introduces a corruption-laden IPPIS, yet goes ahead to punish lecturers for opting out of the pipeline of corruption.
“Lecturers are promoted in the Universities, but those responsible for giving cash backing withhold it with impunity, with several years of promotion areas outstanding. When a government punishes its citizens for demanding what is due to them, can it have any moral claim to democratic culture? Where public officials and bureaucrats have the license to undervalue their country’s intellectual assets will the hope of a knowledge-driven economy not elude the nation?
“Our union is also gravely concerned by decisions of some governing councils at the federal and state Universities, Universities that are built on merit and scholarship are been turned into commodities for politicians and contractors in the appointment of Vice Chancellors. ASUU condemns the attempt to bring back the Ag. Vice Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education, despite clear evidences to the fact that her promotion to the rank of a Reader and Professor were fraught with a lot of contradictions, similar things are unfolding in federal universities.
“For the umpteenth time, ASUU invites all genuine patriots to prevail on Nigeria’s Federal and State Governments to address all lingering labour issues in the Nigerian University System to avert another looming industrial crisis. Nigerian academics are tired of governments’ excuses which have only left them with a long list of Memoranda of Understanding/Memoranda of Action (MoUs/MoAs) -2013, 2017, 2019, 2020-and kept them talking over the renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement for upward of eight years!
“No memorandum or “discussion” can take the place of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which fully addresses staff welfare issues and the requisite environment for productive academic work. The time to act is now!”
Friday Olokor
