- Reps seek peaceful, lasting resolution
BY NGOZI A NWANKWO
Despite the Federal Government’s ‘no work, no pay’ policy threat issued to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), all the public universities, including the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) have joined the ongoing two-week warning strike.
The House of Representatives has pledged its readiness to wade into the industrial dispute between the two parties, with a view to facilitating a lasting and mutual resolution.
ASUU had recently called on the government to address all the unmet demands or contend with an industrial action.
Faced with the frustration of non-compliance from the government, ASUU, on Monday, directed all its members to halt the academic activities and proceed on industrial action.
In an interview with the ASUU President Abuja, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, our correspondent gathered that all the public universities are fully complaint of the on-going two-week warning strike.
“I don’t know any public university that has not joined the strike because it is a thing of the heart, a thing of interest. It is something long overdue and nobody really needs to be persuaded to join,” he said.
Ugoh said the policy of ‘no work, no pay’ will only exacerbate the strike instead of solving the issues on ground.
“Instead of presenting the draft he reached as a result of collective bargaining, the Minister of Education did not do so. He turns out his own data which is against the spirit of collective bargaining.
“It is unfortunate that instead of trying to solve the problem, he is busy threatening ASUU with ‘no work, no pay.’ We are not in the state of anarchy. We expect that, having come to a point where we have a collective bargain, we should focus on that – not giving threat to lecturers, professors whose salaries rarely carry them for one week, the lecturers who live in the charity of friends and relatives. Imagine a professor you are paying on the value of N350,000 to N360,000 salary, definitely, this amount cannot take them for 30 days.
“I think what we need now is to get the problem solved, and that is what Nigerians want now, and I think what is most demanded of him is to show his ability to administer as the minister. The idea of opening a register, for headcount, making lecturers to sign is an old antic. This is not the first time ASUU is expressing this, and ASUU is like a moving train that cannot stop until it gets to its station. The threats of ‘no work, no pay’ can only exacerbate the issue but cannot solve it because lecturers are fed up,” he said.
While raising concern over insincerity on the part of the government, the ASUU warned that if the government failed to address all the agreements reached in the collective bargain after the two-week warning strike, the union would reconvene to press home its demands.
“Since the Federal Government claims that it has met almost the union’s demands, the Minister should, in clear terms, tell Nigerians what has been met from the draft of the collective bargain. Open the draft of the collective bargaining and read it to Nigerians and point out one by one it has been implemented from the draft,” he said.
Taking cognisant of the plight of the students during this period of the strike, the president said though there could be initial pains but the strike was necessary as it serves as a last resort where all discussions and letters have failed.
The union maintained that students are the most beneficiaries of the industrial struggles and reaffirmed commitment to ensure their interests are being protected.
“The struggle is to better the interest of lectures and students. One of the principal beneficiaries of our struggles are our students. Take for instance, TETFund today is a brainchild of ASUU struggle, it came as a result of strikes like these. If you go to tertiary institutions today most of the physical infrastructure like classrooms, hostels, laboratories were built by TETFund and students are most beneficiaries of them. The NEED Assessment introduced by the former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan gave rise to building of classrooms, hostels and laboratories, who are the beneficiaries? The students. The lecture halls and hostels are well refurbished. The bulk of the benefits of the struggles of ASUU go to our students.
“We want a university we can leave for this generation and the upcoming generation. Though they could be initial pains but the strike is a necessary thing to be done. And when ASUU goes on strike, it is considered a last resort where everything has failed, letters have failed, discussions have failed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the union declared interest to embrace dialogue but urged the Federal Government to show sincerity of purpose in addressing all the concerns it raised.
“ASUU is open to dialogue but it would not make sense if after dialoguing and the Federal Government is doing a different thing. If a committee led by Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, of reputable status, the representative of Minister of Education, the Minister of Finance, Account General of Federation, Salary and Wages Commission were part of the negotiation that brought about the draft of collective bargaining and if such high profiled discussion could be jettisoned, what other dialogue are we talking about? Government should be sincere, it is only sincerity of purpose can solve the problem, not dialogue,” Ugoh said.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has further assured Nigerians that it would prioritise the interests of students, as well as the stability of Nigeria’s higher institutions system in the mediation process across Nigeria.
This resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved during plenary yesterday by Honourable Sesi Whingan.
Whingan is a lawmaker representing Badagry Federal Constituency of Lagos State, who, in his motion, expressed deep concern over ASUU’s declaration of a two-week warning strike due to government’s alleged failure to honour previous agreements between the union.
Speaking further on his motion, the lawmaker observed that unresolved issues, such as revitalisation funding, earned academic allowances, salary structures, as well as the autonomy of universities have continued to fuel tensions and friction between the academic union and the government.
He, however, lamented that repeated industrial actions have crippled several academic calendars, noting that such action has also eroded public confidence in Nigeria’s higher learning institution and university system.
He used the opportunity to inform that the ongoing ASUU strike is tagged ‘warning,’ warning that previous experiences have shown that such actions often escalate into indefinite shutdowns of institutions with immense hardship to parents, students, as well as the non-teaching academic staff.
“We cannot afford another prolonged closure of our universities. The future of our youth and the nation’s development are at stake,” he warned.
While adopting the motion, the Deputy Speaker, Honourable Benjamin Kalu, who presided over plenary urged both the Federal Government and the ASUU to urgently embrace dialogue and demonstrate genuine commitment to resolving their long time differences for the interest of Nigerians.
The House also observed that negotiation but not confrontation remains the best workable option that is not only sustainable but also achievable and can lead to an end of industrial peace in the education sector across Nigeria.
Earlier, lawmakers also called on the Federal Government to urgently establish a permanent joint consultative platform with recognised university unions, including ASUU, for continuous engagement on how to permanently resolve all frictions.
The House conclusively urged for amicable resolution of all perceived grievances for the purpose of preventing future industrial action from disrupting the nation’s academic calendar.
They unanimously ruled in favour of the motion while reiterating the importance of swift intervention for positive results.
The House, thereafter, mandated its Committee on Legislative Compliance to urgently follow up and monitor all developments and report back within one week.
Kalu reaffirmed the House’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s education system, noting that a nation’s progress is anchored on the quality of its human capital.
“We owe it to Nigerian students to ensure their dreams are not held hostage by recurring industrial crises,” he stated.
Lawmakers also called on the Federal Government to prioritise implementation of previous agreements with ASUU and ensure transparency in the disbursement of revitalisation and allowance funds. They argued that consistent fulfilment of commitments would restore trust and reduce the frequency of labour unrest in universities.
As the House prepares to initiate dialogue between both parties, Nigerians are watching closely, being hopeful that this legislative intervention will finally deliver a lasting solution to one of the most persistent challenges confronting Nigeria’s education system.