The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on well-meaning Nigerians to caution the Federal Government to honor its agreement with the union to forestall further industrial crisis in the nation’s tertiary education sector.
The union’s President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi made the call in an interview with reporters on Sunday in Lagos.
Recall that the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had at the end of its meeting at the Federal University of Technical Akure (FUTA) in Ondo, on Nov. 4, 2018, declared a ‘total, comprehensive and indefinite’ nationwide strike.
The strike was however suspended on Feb. 7, after series of negotiations between the parties and other concerned stakeholders.
But Ogunyemi said that “Government has not kept faith with our MOA signed on February 7.
“What the government ought to have done, they do not want to do anymore. They have literally gone to sleep.
“For instance they had promised before the suspension of the strike, to set up a visitation panel to our universities within two weeks and three months after the government has not done anything in that regard.
“At least not to my knowledge that they had put any panel in place nor inaugurate any.
“By February 28 of this year, the government had promised to pay the union, N25 billion part payment of outstanding arrears of the EARN academic allowances.
“Our renegotiation with Dr. Wale Babalakin had promised to put us in a more cordial path with fair guidelines when we come back to the renegotiation table but now, there seems to be no change of attitude on the side of government.”
According to him, the union has a timeframe attached to every action, hence the current call for caution on the part of the government.
He explained that the government had told the union that the funds had been approved, but Ogunyemi said that there was a huge difference between the approval of such funds and its implementation.
He said that three months after the said approval, the funds were yet to get to the union.
“Our members have begun to express doubts about the government’s promise to fulfill its pledge faithfully.
“And when this pressure begins to mount there is nothing the leadership can do because leadership must hearken to the voice of followers.
“The point is that we are not keen on disrupting the academic calendar. What we are doing is to express our worries and carry the public along.
“So, Nigerians must come out now and speak to the government concerning all these things raised to maintain the current precarious industrial stability on our campuses,” he said.
He said that though the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu had assured the union that the payment would soon be agreement, he expressed concern that time was of essence his members nationwide.
