Professional healthcare providers under the auspices of Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) have berated the Federal Government for failure to address the demands raised by unions within the university system.
The union said it was most heart-breaking watching the presidency feigning ignorance to the demands raised by the unions, while the political actors are busy squandering billions of Naira aspiring to occupy leadership positions.
In a joint statement, yesterday, signed by MHWUN’s National President, Comrade Biobelemoye Josiah; and Acting Secretary General, Comrade Auwalu Yusuf Kiyawa; respectively, they insisted that the government must meet the demands of the unions, if it hopes to salvage tertiary education from imminent collapse.
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), among other unions, have been on strike owing to alleged discrepancies in implementation of the Integrated Personnel Payrolls and Information System (IPPIS), including other issues bothering on infrastructural development.
The union insisted that they were in solidarity with the proposed national strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as their members have been put on red alert to hit the streets once a date was agreed on.
NLC had issued a notice to mobilise its affiliate unions for a nationwide solidarity strike with ASUU but was yet to carry out the threat.
Throwing its weight behind the struggle, MHWUN said, “We have followed with a keen interest the ongoing industrial impasse in the country’s public tertiary institutions, which had led to their closure since February 14, 2022, and the lethargic response of the government in addressing the problem.
“The ASUU, NASU, SAUTHRIAI, NAAT had been on strike for more than five months due to the apparent failure of government to sign the re-negotiated 2009 Agreement with ASUU, failure to honour the terms reached at the May, 2021, MoU signed with ASUU, and habitual failure of government to respect Collective Bargaining Agreements willingly signed with unions.
“Also in contention is the refusal of the government to adopt the home-grown innovative solutions provided by the unions in the payment of university workers’ salaries.
“It is equally disheartening to note that since the unfortunate strike started, government actions and response to such a huge national embarrassment had been more of ‘motion without movement’.
“If anything, government’s response has not gone beyond the watery statement of ‘we are meeting with the unions…’ or the usual out-dated tactics of blackmailing union leaders as in similar situations.
“No responsible government would close down its public tertiary institutions in this 21st Century because of patriotic demands for a better funding of its universities and good welfare for its teaching and non-teaching staff. This is shameful.
“The leadership of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria is particularly irked that the Federal Government and the political actors have abandoned the children of the poor masses at home to waste away, instead they are seen dissipating energy and resources that could have been used to resolve the issue to fund political tussle to occupy plum offices that previous occupiers have failed to use for the benefit of the masses.
“We are more worried with the development because the academic future of the citizenry is being disrupted whereas the politicians and top government officials have their children mostly in well-funded and equipped overseas schools or in relatively expensive private schools in Nigeria.
“Discerning minds will agree with us that the negative impact of the strike on the future of our children and Nigeria in general cannot be quantified. We call on people of goodwill to stand up in defense of the right and future of our children and Nigeria, by demanding government to do the right thing and bring back these children to the classroom.
“We condemn in strong terms the lethargic attitude of the government in resolving the issues in contention.
“In order to protect the future of our youths whose academic life is being disrupted, we call on the government to implement without further delay all the agreements it had entered with the unions. We urge the relevant MDAs to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari’s earlier directive to resolve all outstanding issues with the unions is backed by immediate acceptable action that would end the stalemate.
“MHWUN wishes to use this medium to unequivocally state that we firmly stand behind the university based unions and the clear position of NLC leadership in this historic struggle.
“Our state councils have been put on a red alert, as we will not hesitate to declare a solidarity strike in support of the unions if the government fails to resolve the issue within a reasonable time”.
The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria also condemned in the strongest terms the spate of insecurity in the country, saying the rising orgies of killing, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and extreme agitation for secession have assumed a dangerous dimension.
According to MHWUN, “hardly any day passes by without reports of security challenges in some parts of the country. Human lives have become so cheap and without value”.
Josiah said Nigerian workers were no longer safe both at their homes and at work places, as many have lost their lives to these enemies of state.
“We, therefore, demand for a resolute action from the government to end this degrading assault on the sovereignty of our nation.
“We equally condemn the current scarcity of diesel, cooking gas, petrol and aviation fuel, and the rising wave of arbitrary prices all over the country.
“This pathetic development has further exposed workers whose salaries and income has already been eroded by inflation, to greater hardship. The situation reinforced the earlier call by the organised labour for a resolute action on domestic refining of petroleum.
“According to its 2021 OPEC report, Nigeria export petroleum products worth $27.73billion, but imported refined products of $71.28billion, leaving a deficit of $43.46billion. (OPEC Report: March 21, 2022).
“To our union, there is no better time to end the madness of petrol importation than now.
“Finally, as political activities are hitting up, it has become obvious that the same political actors that have brought us anguish, hunger, pains, death, social and economic woes are seriously preparing to return to power. We wish to state that it will no longer be business as usual.
“We wish to reiterate our earlier call to all our members across the country to ensure they register and obtain their PVCs and wait for further directive from the leadership of the union as Nigerian workers’ are prepared to take back their country from the economic buccaneers,” the statement added.