 Select Menu ☰       �� Sack threat: ASUU dares FG, says strike continues by EMMANUEL ONANI, CHRIS NJOKU, KEMI OLAITAN, HAKEEM GBADAMOSI, EMMA GBEMUDU AND WOLE ADEDEJI on Dec 3, 2013 | No comments Posted under: Highlights, News   6  5 Vows not to succumb to ‘political blackmail’  0  0 The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has dared the Federal Government to carry out its threat of sacking lecturers who fail to resume on or before December 4. It said no amount of “political blackmail”, will cow its members into submission. ASUU, however, called on the Federal Government to activate its machinery of implementation of the commitments made to the union. The union promised to end the protracted strike as soon as the implementation of outstanding agreements was done. ASUU’s position was made known yesterday in Abuja at a press briefing by the National President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, and other national officers. Sounding rather confident and unruffled, Fagge accused the Federal Government of paving the way “for privatisation of education” in the country. He insisted that as academics, the university lecturers “have a duty to defend the right of Nigerians to sound public education”. The national president conveyed the collective resolve of the union not to succumb to the “present threat”, stressing that doing so would amount to giving “up on Nigeria.” “We resisted Abacha’s dictatorship”… and “refused to succumb to Obasanjo/ IMF attempts to weaken public in favour of private universities”, he recalled Fagge also noted that the union convinced the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua, “to keep faith with the interests of Nigeria’s youth and desist from privatising education.” He accused the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, of “gross misrepresentation and ignorance of well-known trade union laws and practices”. ASUU challenged the public to ask the minister why the Federal Government did not “respond to ASUU’s letter, expressing the union’s understanding of the resolutions of November 4, 2013.” The resolutions read in part: “That the non-implementation of two of the nine items agreed in the 2009 agreement between Federal Government and ASUU are the main contentious issues; namely: “Funding for the revitalisation of public universities through the implementation of the Needs Assessment Report on public universities. Payment of earned allowances”. However, in a letter dated November 22, and signed by Fagge, ASUU sought clarification on “certain uncertainties”, before “making the relevant decision.” According to the letter obtained by National Mirror, the “uncertainties involve issues on which ASUU members nationwide have strong feelings. They are about certain gaps evident in government’s report.” ASUU’s requests, which government insists are fresh demands, include “that the N200 billion agreed upon as 2013 revitalisation fund for public universities should be deposited with the CBN and disbursed to the benefitting universities within two weeks. “That the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement in 2014 be included in the final document as agreed at the L-R: Former President, Trade Union Congress, Peter Esele; First Deputy National President, Sunday Salako; President, Bobboi discussion with Your Excel-lency. “That a non-victimisation clause, which is normally captured in all interactions of this nature, be included in the final document, and “That a new memorandum of understanding shall be validly endorsed; signed by a representative of the government, preferably the Attorney- General of the Federation and a representative of ASUU, with the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, as witness.” While insisting that it did not make any fresh demands, ASUU promised to “bow only to what we as academics are convinced will serve the interest of Nigeria and its people, no matter their ethnic, religious or class origins.” The union called on “all Nigerians who care about our country to prevail on government to do what is just and noble as its present approach will only compound the deepening yet avoidable crises” bedeviling the university system. It will be recalled that the Federal Government had, last week, ordered vice-chancellors of federal universities, to “immediately” reopen university campuses, for resumption of “academic and other allied activities.” It also directed the VCs to declare vacancies to enable the recruitment of new lecturers in the event that the striking teachers, whom it threatened to sack, failed to resume on or before December 4. Interestingly, the aforesaid date coincides with the funeral of the late former ASUU President, Prof. Festus Iyayi, who died on his way to attend a botched National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of the union in Kano. Meanwhile, the Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO, branch of the union yesterday threw caution to the wind as they mobbed journalists who came to the institution to monitor compliance with the Federal Government’s December 4 deadline. The angry union leaders, on sighting the journalists at the New SAAT Auditorium where union officials were addressing the lecturers, descended on a correspondent of National Mirror in Owerri, Imo State, Mr. Chris Njoku. One of the union officials grabbed the journalist by the collar while others were beating him and seized his bag, phone, money and notepad. It took the spirited efforts of passers-by who were piqued by the behaviour of the lecturers to prevent the journalist from being lynched. However, the lecturers remained adamant, saying that they would not call off the strike until the Federal Government met their demands. At the University of Ibadan, the directive by the Federal Government may have suffered a setback as students stayed away from the campus. ASUU also lashed out at the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, for calling the union “enemy of the state.” The union appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to read the letter sent by the union to him in order to know that the union was not out to disrespect him but give him more credibility. When our correspondents visited the UI campus, there was no sign of resumption as all lecture rooms remained shut and no register opened for signatures. Rather, the union assembled its members in a congress where it resolved not to sign any register. The Chairman of the chapter, Dr. Olusegun Ajiboye, said the union would ensure that government fund public universities. He added that the union respected the office of Mr. President, but noted that Okupe and other sycophant advisers were trying to ridicule the office through their unguarded utterances against the union. At the Niger Delta University, NDU, Amassoma, Bayelsa State, lecturers vowed not to suspend the fivemonth strike despite the government’s threat. Chairman of the chapter, Dr. Beke Sese, insisted that the lecturers would not return to the class under coercion on December 4 until their demands were met. Sese noted that the lecturers had firmly resolved to execute the strike action to its logical conclusion in spite of the threats. The Federal Government had penultimate week issued a December 4 ultimatum to the ASUU to return to the classrooms or risk mass sack. President Jonathan had, at the weekend in Yenagoa, said the strike was more of subversion than a mere trade dispute. The ASUU chapter chairman said Wike, for reasons best known to him, had escalated the issues bordering on the strike action with the threat. Sese, however, said that the national leadership of ASUU could suspend the strike after its meeting with President Jonathan to iron out the knotty issues. He said: “Absolutely not. We are not resuming lectures. The strike is still on and our members are doubly resolved to execute the strike to its logical conclusion. “Moreover, it is just an attempt by the (Supervising) Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, to unnecessarily pour petrol on a dying flame for reasons best known to him. “Because after the union met with Mr. President for 13 hours, I can tell you that ASUU nationwide appreciated the understanding and humility of the President to directly negotiate with our union and we were all predisposed to a speedy suspension of the strike.” However, academic activities resumed at the Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, Ondo State. Students and some lecturers of the institution, who complied with the directive by the management of the school to resume, were seen moving from one department to the other for lectures. Our correspondent noticed that though lectures had not started fully in all the departments of the school, students were seen in classes receiving lectures in some of the faculties which include arts, education and social sciences. National Mirror learnt that the timetable for lectures and other academic activities had been released by the school authorities for the second semester of the 2012/2013 academic session. It was gathered that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Femi Mimiko, met with principal officers of the school while meetings of the heads of departments in each of the faculties were held to ensure proper course allocation among the lecturers. The vice-chancellor was seen moving round the campus to monitor the level of compliance to the directive to resume academic activities. Speaking to journalists after the monitoring exercise, Mimiko expressed satisfaction at the level of compliance, noting that the development showed that about 60 per cent of the academic staff was back on campus. Meanwhile, the Vice- Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Abdul- Ganiyu Ambali, pleaded with ASUU to end the strike. Speaking with the National Mirror at the Ilorin International Airport, Ambali said although his institution was not participating in the strike action, the effect of the dispute on sister universities was giving him much concern. He said the trade dispute had not done anything good to the students, parents, government, the education sector, the economy and the society in general. The VC pleaded with ASUU and other stakeholders to resolve the dispute. Speaking on the two contending factions of ASUU in the university and the alleged involvement of the institution’s management in the division, Ambali exonerated the university’s authorities in the division. He said the management had commenced the process of bringing the two sides together to form one single body in the interest of all. “As a management, we have ASUU, NASU, SSA and other unions on campus serving the general interests of their individual members and smooth labour atmosphere in our university. “All I know is that the ASUU factions are fighting for one common goal. There is only a thin line of difference but I can tell you it will soon come to an end,” Ambali added.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 11:48:29 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015