Between ASUU and Federal Government -By Shereefdeen Sawe

Ideally, an employer reserves the right to dictate the system/platform through which his/her employee would be paid. Consequently, whatever must have sparked off ASUU to design the University Accountability and Transparency System (UTAS), as a payment platform, over the Federal Government’s Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System ( IPPIS) does not ideally hold water.

ASUU also want their outstanding arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) to be paid. The union also want the Federal Government to settle their promotion arrears, conclude the process of renegotiating the 2009 ASUU/FG Agreement, release their withheld salaries of academics, release agreed sum of money for revitalization of public universities among others. If the Nigerian government could accede to the above demands, according to ASUU, the incessant face-off between them would cease to exist.

Critically looking at most of those demands, except funds for revitalization of public universities; one would inevitably come to the realization that they are nothing but we-want-to-full-our-pockets. Even though to some extent the union may label them as their entitlements.

Sadly, ASUU is keeping the students as hostages to press home those demands; as a big hopeless and powerless bait to lure the federal government into their hook. Frustratingly, the dear government that’s supposed to pay the ransom for the students to regain their educational freedom expressly said the students’ lives mean nothing to them. So heartbreaking!

Since 14th of February, the students of public universities have been forced to stay at homes. And there’s little or no hope for them to return back to their campuses anytime soon. This is not the first this hoodoo, ASUU strike would be chasing them. Since Nigeria passed the mantle of leadership to democratic rule in 1999, ASUU has embarked on 16 industrial strike actions.The longest spanned to 272-day between 23 March 2020 to December 23, 2020.

In that period of nine months, just like what the students are currently facing, universities under the union across the country were shutdown. Academic activities were disrupted, and the zeal and future of many students have been suffering acute frustration.

It’s just unfortunate that Nigeria is blessed with shameless, clueless and half-baked leaders. Particularly, this Buhari-led administration. It appears among others to be the worst.

Under this administration, ASUU has spent 19 months on strike since 2015_ 35 days in 2017, four months in 2019, nine months in 2020 and five months in 2022; and still counting. This current strike action has reached over 180 days, just a month away from becoming the second longest consecutive university shutdown in Nigeria’s democratic history, usurping the 2003/2004 six-month.

I agreed. Most of the demands of the union are self-centered, selfish; and some are even unreasonable. But the demonstration of the government towards handling the issue shows how nonchalant, apathetic and irresponsible they are towards the educational system. We are talking about the apex centers of learning in the country being shut down for months, and the leaders are totally unconcerned about their closure. Sad and embarrassing!

It’s true that the government wants to strangle public universities to death, just like what they did to the primary and secondary schools. The Nigerian Labour Congress has staged a nationwide protest to draw the government’s attention, but it seemed the protest has even close their eyes more from seeing the burning effect of the suffocating strike. They do not have money for university revitalization, but the Account-General of the federation alone was alleged to have siphon 170billion naira. Where in Nigeria does he get such a mammoth amount of money?

Education appears to be a major tool for development and sustainability of any nation in the world, but it’s a sad story that our leaders in Nigeria found it difficult to align themselves with this fact.

ASUU would continue to play intransigency. Because with the implementation of the ” no work no pay” policy, the members of the union are still not moved. Whatever the motive/aim of ASUU might be in their demands, whether fighting for the betterment of Nigerian universities or for their own self-centered interest, that does not exonerate the fact that the students would be the ones to bear the brunt of their incessant strike actions. It’s high time for the FG to realize the need to salvage public universities. ASUU would have nothing much to lose in the end. The federal government should understand this. It’s simple.