University teachers are set for another strike over the
controversial 2009 agreement they reached with the Federal Government
among other issues.
A meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of ASUU will hold today in Abuja ahead of the action.
Yesterday, all chapters of the union nationwide held a congress as
directed by its national body to decide whether or not to go ahead with
the planned strike.
The options given to them are: Whether it should be total and
indefinite strike, one month strike, one week notice, and no strike at
all.
This followed the directive sent to branches by ASUU National
President Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi as he was mandated by the NEC meeting
held at the Nasarawa State University (NSU).
Chairman ASUU-Lagos State University (LASU) Dr Isaac Akinloye Oyewunmi said yesterday that the chapter resolved in favour of “total and indefinite strike”.
In August last year, the union threatened strike over
thengovernment’s failure to implement the 2009 agreement. According to
the reports gathered by Eyes Of Lagos, Coordinator of ASUU (Lagos Zone)
Prof Olusoji Sowande, said the union was tired because efforts to get
the agreement honoured were fruitless.
The union listed some of the unresolved issues as: Breach of the
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the 2009 FG/ASUU Agreement on
financing of state universities; breach of the conditions of service;
refusal to honour the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and re
-negotiation of the agreement.
In January, ASUU staged a one-week warning strike. Union officials
said the Federal Government is owing universities over N880 billion in
intervention fund.
Other issues according to ASUU oficials are: The Federal
Government’s foot-dragging over ‘funds for the revitilisation of public
universities, non-release of NUPEMCO operational licence, non-payment of
earned academic allowances, payment of fractions/non-payment of
salaries, retired professors and their salaries and university staff
schools’.
The official said ASUU explored all channels to make the Federal Government see reasons but said: “It
seems the Federal Government is more concerned with buying exotic
vehicles for the National Assembly while public education and lecturers
continue to suffer owing to dilapidated infrastructure.”
He said the union was angry at the failure of the Federal
Government to release the operational licence for the union’s pension
managers after collecting N1 billion since two years ago.
“Till date the government is owing the intervention funds to
the tune of N880 billion. When we approached them for licensing of
Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company (NUPEMCO), they asked
us to go and bring registration fee, which is supposed to be
N150million. Till date, we have paid government N1 billion and our money
has been with them for two years and they are not saying anything.
None of this pension administrators can fulfill the University
Miscellaneous Act which says university professors must retire with
their full money.
The money must have been invested and yielding interest for
somebody. We are demanding our licence and funding of public
universities.”
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