GOOD; GOOD; GOOD AND VERY GOOD; FG breaks ASUU’s ranks, shifts ultimatum to Dec 9 by SAM OLUWALANA, OBIORA IFOH AND FEMI OYEWESO on Dec 4, 2013 | No comments Posted under: Featured Story, Highlights, News UNIBEN, UNIPORT, UNIABUJA, MOUAU resume academic activities . ’ve met ASUU’s demands, say officials The Federal Government has succeeded in breaking the ranks of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, with the resumption of duties by some lecturers. The Federal Government had last week issued an ultimatum to lecturers to resume from their fivemonth- old strike on or before December 4 or get sacked. The ultimatum has, however, been shifted to December 9. ASUU on Monday, through its National President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, dared the Federal Government to carry out its threat to sack the lecturers, vowing to continue with the strike until its demands were met. But lecturers have returned to the classrooms at the University of Benin, UNIBEN; University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT; University of Abuja, UNIABUJA and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, MOUAU. At UNIBEN, lectures resumed yesterday in compliance with the Federal Government’s directive to lecturers to resume work. Our correspondent learnt that some of the lecturers had signed the resumption register stationed at the deans’ offices at the various faculties on the university. At the Faculty of Law, not less than 33 out of about 50 lecturers had signed the resumption register. At the Faculty of Management Sciences, lecturers had yet to sign the register, while the heads of departments in the Faculty of Agriculture were seen holding a faculty meeting. Efforts to speak with the executives of the UNIBEN chapter of ASUU proved abortive as members of the union were holding a meeting. However, a lecturer in the university, who did not want his name mentioned, said that the strike was mismanaged by the national ASUU leadership. “We are not against ASUU or what it is fighting for, but we are against the methodology as well as the adamant and childish approach of the leadership at this point in time. “Agreement can be written or oral, and President Goodluck Jonathan has assured us that the agreement with ASUU would be implemented. “I think the sensible thing to do is to await the president’s directive to implement it; and if he does not do it, we then call up another strike. “Many of us are disappointed with the union leadership’s attempt to distort what has been agreed upon by all members across the country. “We believe in the Federal Government, we believe in what the highest authority in the country has said and we have decided to resume work. “And when we resume and the government is not doing anything about it; then, we will think of going back on strike again,” the lecturer said. Efforts to contact the university’s management team on its next line of action proved abortive. Lectures have also commenced in almost all departments of the University of Abuja since Monday, a top official of the institution has said. The Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, Dr. Peter Maidoki, of the university, made this known yesterday. He said some members of ASUU, UniAbuja chapter, were responding positively to the Federal Government’s directive reopening the universities. Maidoki said that a register was opened at both the mini-campus and the permanent site of the university, for returning lecturers to sign. “I just signed and have finished attending to a class; my colleague has just taken over from me.” He said that some of the lecturers who had resumed work were eager to teach, but that there were no students in some departments to take lectures. According to him, members of ASUU have embarked on a campaign to discourage the students from returning. Maidoki, however, said that the few who had so far resumed were being given adequate attention. “Attendance of students who were present at the lectures was taken,” he said. The director called on ASUU to suspend its strike, which he described as being over due, to enable the students to return to classes. The MOUAU has also reopened for the 2013/2014 academic session, an official has said. The Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mrs. Onyinye Ralph- Nwachukwu, confirmed the resumption in Umuahia yesterday. Ralph-Nwachukwu said the institution reopened yesterday after a meeting of the Senate of the University on Monday. “The senate of the university met on Monday and resolved to reopen on Tuesday and students have started returning to campus,” she said. The spokesperson said the university time-table would be redesigned for the completion of outstanding examinations for the last semester of the 2012/2013 academic session. She explained that fresh students had commenced registration. But the Chairman of MOUAU-ASUU, Dr. Uzochukwu Onyebinama, said on the phone that the ASUU strike had not been called off. “The university has reopened, but we are still on strike,” Onyebinama said. There was confusion at the University of Port Harcourt as discordant tunes echoes from the two sides of the divide as the institution’s chapter of ASUU chose to continue with the strike, even as the institution’s senate has set school’s reopening date for Sunday, December 8. The university’s Senate council, in its meeting yesterday released a new timetable for academic activities on the three campuses of the university, noting that lectures would resume on Monday, December 9, while students are ordered to be in their hostels by Sunday. The institution’s spokesman, Dr. William Wodi, said in Port Harcourt that despite the stance of ASUU to continue with the strike, many lecturers had indicated interest to resume class on the said date. Dr. Wodi, further explained that registers would be opened for academic activities and that those who obeys the directives of the school’s authority would receive their dues. However, reacting to the school authority’s orders, the Uniport branch of ASUU said that it would stick to the resolution of its national body to continue with the strike, while also lambasting the supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, for causing further damages to the various efforts being put into resolving the crisis. Chairman of the institution’s ASUU, Professor Anthonia Okerengwo, said the union’s congress would wait for the federal government to show faith in the ongoing negotiations before calling off the strike. ASUU, UNIJOS, chapter said that classes would only resume in the institution if directed by the national body. The chapter Chairman, Dr David Jangdam said in Jos that the lecturers were waiting for directives from the nation body before the five-months strike could be called off. “Classes will only resume if directed by the national body,” he said. Jangdam said that the decision of the national body was final and binding on all local chapters. A visit to both the temporary and permanent sites of the university in Jos shows that they were deserted. The only visible presence was those of security personnel at the various entry and exit points. Jangdam also rejected suggestions that the lecturers had not been fair to university education in the country. But the South West zone of the union yesterday threatened to sanction any of its members who obeyed the federal government’s order. Arising from its congress which held inside the main campus of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, Ago-Iwoye in Ijebu North local government area of Ogun state, the lecturers vowed that the union would not succumb to threats by the Federal Government to sack them. The lecturers also maintained that they would continue their strike as long as the government refused to honour the agreements already reached with the union. The Chairman of the OOU chapter of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Adesola, who is also the South West coordinator of ASUU while addressing the congress stressed that if the government could inject over two trillion into bailing out privately owned commercial banks, it should have no difficulty in expending public funds on government-owned universities. Adesola further stated that if federal government is genuine in getting the nation’s universities on course by getting the strike suspended, it should do that which is needful rather issuing threats. Meanwhile, the Federal Government said yesterday that it has met the demands of ASUU and there was no need to continue with the strike. Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday during an interactive session with leaders of the National Association of the Nigerian Students (NANS), Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth and Students’ Matters, Comrade Jude Imagwe stated that a larger membership of ASUU campus chapters had voted for the immediate calloff of the strike. According to him, the administration believes that with the agreement and the result of the votes across the campuses, the Union has no reason for further sustenance of the strike, calling for the Union to complying with the call on them to resume work without further delay. He explained that the directive given by the government was not targeted to threaten the ASUU leadership but to show government’s commitment towards ensuring that all university students return to school. Also, the Federal Government yesterday, shifted the earlier deadline of December 4, for university lecturers to resume activities. Consequently, a new date of December 9,has been fixed for resumption of academic and other allied activities. The development is in deference to the late former President of ASUU, Prof. Festus Iyayi, whose funeral rites begin on Thursday The Executive Secretary, ES, of the National Universities Commission NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie, made the disclosure in Abuja, yesterday. Okojie also indicated the Federal Government’s readiness to pay the outstanding arrears of four months,owed lecturers of federal universities. According to Okogie, “Councils have been directed to shift the resumption date to December 9.” He said that the development has since been communicated to Pro-Chancellors,for necessary action. He continued: “You cannot pay someone who has failed to resume work. You are on strike and you want to be paid. What if some have already left the system? Some of our very bright lectures may have gotten jobs elsewhere already.” The executive secretary added that the issue of the Inclusion of a “Non- Victimization Clause” as fresh demand by ASUU, did not come up
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 01:38:57 +0000
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