BREAKING NEWS, Education
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The Nigerian government explains that it cannot meet the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities because of paucity of funds arising from current economic recession in the country
| By Anayo Ezugwu | Dec 5, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT |
THE industrial action embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, over its grievances with the federal government may not end soon. The federal government said that it could not meet the union’s demand to earn allowances running into N284 billion, especially with the economy in recession.
Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, after the Federal Executive Council meeting, on Wednesday, November 23, said the government could not pay the allowance because there was no money. The government had conceded to the union the right to exclude endowment funds that accrued to universities from the Treasury Single Account but this does not mean that university councils will not have the right to audit such an account.
“The other aspect of it is the earned allowance. The earned allowance is the only one that is not sorted out now because everybody knows and agrees that we are in recession. If we are in a recession and you are asking us to pay you N284 billion, nobody will pay it because the money is not there,” he said.
This notwithstanding, even the efforts of the Senate to persuade the striking lecturers to end the industrial action did not succeed. The meeting between ASUU and the legislators on Monday, November 21, which was chaired by Senator Jibrin Barau, chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, ended without in a stalemate.
Barau said they have agreed on all issues raised by ASUU, except the earned allowances of the lecturers. “We are to go back to our respective constituencies. The government has proposed a certain offer but ASUU expressed reservation. We hope they will accept the offer,” he said.
ASUU embarked on strike on Wednesday, November 16, to protest the non-implementation of its 2009 agreement with the federal government. According to ASUU, the strike action will be “total and comprehensive”, adding that while it lasted, and there would be no teaching, examinations and attendance of meetings in any of its branches.
The union said it would be going on strike over part payment of salaries, non-payment of subventions and the inability of the federal government to provide funds for the revitalisation of public varsities, among other reasons. The union also accused government of allegedly turning the establishment of universities into constituency projects to score a political point.
Biodun Ogunyemi, national president, ASUU, while unfolding the plans for the protest, at a press conference after its emergency National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, said several efforts to get the government to respect the terms of their agreement had been unsuccessful.
“Our members across the nation are worried that six months after the meeting with the minister of education and a series of letters to amplify the need to respect the spirit and letters of the 2009 agreement and the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding, there has been no tangible results of the issues raised.
“This failure puts ASUU leadership in a severe difficulty responding to enquiries from members of the union about the state of affairs in our engagement with the federal government. Following a nationwide consultation with our members, the NEC of ASUU rose from its meeting on Sunday, November 13, with a resolution to embark on a one- week warning strike starting from Wednesday, November 16, 2016. The nationwide strike action is total and comprehensive. While it lasts, there shall be no teaching, no examination and no attendance of statutory meeting of any kind in any of our branches.”
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