BREAKING NEWS:FG DECLARES WAR ON ASUU, ORDERS VCS TO ADVERTISE FOR NEW STAFF FG directs Vice Chancellors to re-open Universities Immediately for academic and allied activities.Universities ordered to recruit new academic and non academic staff. Any lecturer who fails to resume by December 4th should consider himself sacked. Below is the full text of the address by the Supervising Minister of Education, Barr. Nyesom Wike this morning. PRESS BRIEFING BY THE SUPERVISING MINISTER OF EDUCATION, CHIEF (BARR) EZENWO NYESOM WIKE ON THE ON GOING INDUSTRIAL STRIKE ACTION BY ASUU ON THURSDAY, 28TH NOVEMBER, 2013 PROTOCOL You may recall that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) went on strike on 1st July, 2013 on the grievances of non-implementation of the Federal Government (FGN) / ASUU agreement, signed in 2009. In reaction, the Federal Government initiated series of meetings between her team led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, including the Honourable Ministers of Education, Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Labour & Productivity, and other top Government officials with the Executive of ASUU. It should be noted that a joint Senate and House Committees on Education also intervened without success. A committee was also inaugurated for the implementation of the Needs Assessment Report. As a further demonstration of Government’s commitment to resolve the crisis, His Excellency, Architect Namadi Sambo, GCON, Vice – President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on behalf of Government, intervened and invited ASUU to a meeting where the two contentious issues of Earned Academic Allowances and Funding, for the revitalization of the universities, were discussed and resolutions reached. There was still no positive response from ASUU. Consequently, on 4th November, 2013, in a thirteen hour meeting, His Excellency Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR met with ASUU Executive, the Labour Union leaders from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), where all the issues were resolved and firm commitments made to address the lingering issues. It is note worthy that Mr. President’s gesture was more than sufficient to guarantee the commitment of Government to address all issues as resolved at the meeting with Mr. President. At the end of the meeting with Mr. President, the ASUU Executive promised to meet with its NEC to present the resolutions reached and report back by Friday November 8, 2013. It is unfortunate that while traveling to attend the NEC meeting in Kano, we lost a key member and former President of the union, Prof. Festus Iyayi. Government sympathizes with the families of the late Iyayi and ASUU. It is amazing, however, that three weeks after the meeting with Mr. President, ASUU responded by giving new conditions for suspending the five month old strike. Government has reviewed the entire situation and come to the conclusion, that the continuation of the strike action is an attempt by ASUU to sabotage all efforts to address the issues. As a responsible Government we cannot allow the continuous closure of our public universities for this length of time (five months), as this poses danger to the education system, the future of our youths and national development. Consequently, the Federal Government has directed as follows: i. All Vice – Chancellors of Federal Universities that are currently on strike should immediately reopen for academic and allied activities as directed by their Pro-Chancellors; ii. Vice – Chancellors should ensure that staff who resume for work are provided with the enabling environment for academic and allied activities; iii. Any academic staff who fails to resume on or before the 4th of December, 2013 automatically ceases to be a staff of the institution; and iv. Vice-Chancellors are also directed to advertise vacancies (internal and external) in their institutions. The National Universities Commission is hereby directed to monitor the compliance of these directives by the various institutions. The Federal Government has met all its commitments and obligations with respect to the FG/ASUU 2009 Agreement. We appeal to all stakeholders to appreciate the position of Government which is in the best interest of our dear country.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 16:17:07 +0000
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