ASUU Strike: We’re not on strike over allowances – Lecturers Two weeks into the nationwide strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the union said yesterday that the decision remains irrevocable, even as its counterpart, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) had ended its three-month strike. Addressing the press yesterday at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Adesola Nassir, the zonal coordinator of ASUU, Ibadan zone, said the union is not only canvassing for the payment of the Earned Academic Allowances and other issues discussed in the 2009 agreement it reached with the Federal Government but clamouring for more funding of education to meet world class standard. “The intervention culminated in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Federal Government and ASUU. The highpoints of which are: Government reaffirms its commitment to the revitilisation of Nigerian universities through budgetary and non-budgetary sources of funds, Federal Government’s assistance to state universities, progressive increase of annual budgetary allocation to education, Earned Academic Allowance, among others. “But, it is disheartening that with the lofty objectives set out to be achieved by the agreement, government has chosen to go the old odious track of trading words, blackmail and peddling of outright lies on this matter.” According to him, the union is highly disappointed in the National Universities Commission (NUC) when the Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie, claimng ignorance of the union’s strike and publishing certain figures on academic staff salaries and funds released to universities, while also conducting a sham programme accreditation at University of Abuja (UNIABUJA). “One wonders why the same NUC has failed to also publish the ranking of Nigerian universities compared with their counterparts in Africa and globally and also failed to acknowledge its complications in granting programme accreditation to universities but which has now been revealed by the Needs Assessment Report as colossal facades,” he said. On the resolution of the union, Nassir said the Ibadan zone, comprising of University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Lagos State University, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and Tai Solarin University of Education are resolved to remain on strike along with their colleagues nationwide. He therefore urged the general public to understand that their action is to engender quality education for Nigerian children. According to ASUU, the move would enable them to produce best graduates that could compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world. Earlier, Education Right Campaign (ERC) has thrown its weight behind ASUU by staging a peaceful protest against the Federal Government over what it described as inadequate attention to the education sector. National Publicity Secretary of the group, Mr. Chinedu Bosah, told Daily Newswatch during the protest that its major grouse with government was its inability to respect agreements it willfully entered with the various university unions. “The universities are currently on strike. The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) too was on strike and had just suspended it. Before now, teachers in some states, under the auspices of NUT (Nigerian Union of Teachers) were also on strike. “We are aware that part of these unions’ demands is that education must be properly funded if we desire to attain all our transformation agenda, which is also part of the age long demand for this NGO.” Mr. Dele Ashiru, ASUU member, Strike Coordinating committee, UNILAG chapter, said it was either the Federal Government funded the public education or forget about it, saying ASUU had determined not to reverse the strike. Source: Daily NewsWatch
Posted on: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 08:28:17 +0000