The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), yesterday, said only two of its eight demands have so far been met by the Federal Government in the last nine months.
The Ibadan Zone of the union made this known in a statement after its meeting at the Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso chaired by its Coordinator in LAUTECH, Prof. Oyebamiji Oyegoke.
Others in attendance were: the Chairpersons from University of Ibadan, Prof. Ayo Akinwole; UNILORIN, Prof. Moyosore Ajao; LAUTECH, Dr Biodun Olaniran and KWASU, Dr Shehu Salau.
Oyegoke said in the statement that the strike was “a ticking bomb” and feared that the educational system would be engulfed in another crisis.
“For the avoidance of doubt, ASUU stated that only salary shortfall and setting up of Visitation Panels to the Federal Government-owned universities have been addressed by the government in nine months.
“Other demands such as the renegotiation of conditions of service, injection of revitalisation funds, payment of earned academic allowances, implementation of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) have not been addressed,” he said.
Oyegoke added that the proliferation of state universities, release of withheld salaries and non-remittance of check-off dues of unions, which were all contained in the December 22, 2020 Memorandum of Action, have not been addressed.
He said, “The claim by the Minister of Labour and Employment that the money allocated for Revitalisation of Public Universities had been paid as contained in the MoA of 2020, cannot be true.
“The same Minister confirmed on August 2, 2021 that the money is still in the custody of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), only awaiting application by the Minister of Education for eventual transfer to the NEEDS Assessment Fund Account.
“That government is working hard to facilitate the release of money by the CBN since January 2021 leaves a sour taste in the mouth.”
On IPPIS versus UTAS, he explained that withholding salaries for months, non-release of EAA, non-payment of check-off dues accruing to the union, in spite of what ASUU has demonstrated, could only be an invitation to another possible cycle of industrial crisis.
“Moreover, UTAS avowed suitability has been demonstrated admirably to the Minister of Education and members of his team, the Honourable Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“And other key stakeholders like Ministries of Labour and Employment; Education, Finance, Office of the Accountant-General, representatives of Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
“The more the government insists on fulfilling the demands of the integrity test on UTAS, the longer the accompanying pains earlier identified in IPPIS will stay with our members,” he said.
Oyegoke said at a reconciliation meeting between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the leadership of ASUU on Monday, August2, 2021 at the Conference Room of the Minister of Labour and Employment, all contentious matters affecting the outstanding issues as regard the implementation of 2020 FGN/ASUU MoA were discussed.
“The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, on behalf of the Federal Government, promised that a broader government team and inter-ministerial committee on the draft renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement would conclude its work and submit the report to the government by the end of August, 2021.
“The meeting concluded with an agreement to reconvene by the end of August 2021 to ascertain the faithfulness of the Federal Government in resolving the outstanding issues.
“We are in the second week of September, 2021, nothing positive from the Federal Government so far,” he added.
Similarly, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Calabar zone, has described as an aberration and fraudulent, the N250,000 senior lecturers that should be promoted to professors are required to pay an assessment fee.
The union insisted that there is no clause in the act establishing the universities where a lecturer should pay for his own assessment.
In a statement signed by all the chairpersons comprising Calabar zone and read by the Zonal Coordinator, Dr Aniekan Brown, at Melany Hotel and Suites, Uyo Akwa Ibom State capital, the union said such a fee is not within the confines of the law regretting that those who refused to pay the sum had their promotions stagnated.
According to Brown, “There is no place that a lecturer should pay for his assessment. How can ill paid staff who have invested a lot of money in research and publishing, when the time for assessment for promotion comes, they will be asked to pay a whooping N250,000?
“ASUU views that as a case of criminality, because it’s not within the confines of the law. In fact, it’s an aberration, fraudulent and unconstitutional. Secondly, what do you mean I pay such huge sum and I don’t get favourable assessment? Please, note that some of our colleagues who stand by the truth and refused to pay; their promotions are stagnated, even if their promotions are announced it is notional, no financial backings.”
Speaking on the insistence of the Federal Government that universities, as well as other agencies, should migrate to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), the union said at no point had it supported the scheme and would never do, describing it as a cesspool of corruption.
Brown said it would be a case of historical irresponsibility for the union to accept what is not good for members, stressing that ASUU was inaugurated with the mandate of advancing the course and welfare of members.
Buttressing his points, the zonal coordinator said, “It will be difficult for them to say that IPPIS stands for transparency. IPPIS is illiterate because it cannot read and understand the peculiarities of the Nigerian universities system. That is why we have salary fluctuations.
“Our union has always come against this IPPIS, legally, it goes against University autonomy and it failed to understand the peculiarities of Nigeria University system. IPPIS has no room for payment of salary promotion arrears.”
The union also condemned the proliferation of universities by state governors without taking care of the existing ones saying, “State governments proposing to establish new universities should be barred from accessing TETFund grants to support their projects for at least ten years. Owners of the proposed universities whether federal or state should provide verifiable growth plans for providing not less than 75% of their pensionable academic staff complement in addition to provision of requisite Infrastructural facilities.”
ASUU also condemned the failure of the Federal Government to honour it’s part of the bargain which made the union suspend the nine months strike action, saying that there is a limit to which their patience can reach.
It also made some demands which included, payment of staff emoluments starting with 2022 budgets, domestication of the universities act of 2012 in all universities, provision of functional pension scheme in line with the 2014 Pension Act.
Others included, payment of salaries, payment of allowances, third party deductions and other entitlements owed staff with a consciousness of a regular payment subsequently as well as constitution of visitation panels to all universities that have not been visited in at least, last five years.