By Rosemary Ogbonnaya
The Academic Staff Union of Universities,ASUU, Monday announced its readiness to embark on another round of industrial action following the ‘government’s unfaithfulness’ in implementation of the Memorandum of Action, MoU, it signed with the union upon which the last strike action was suspended.
Stating the Union’s position after its National Executive Council,NEC, meeting held at the University of Abuja on the 13th and 14th November 2021, the ASUU National President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, said governments should be held responsible if they fail to address the issues within three weeks.
Osodeke who gave assurances of the union’s commitment to uphold academic integrity of Nigerian universities, also decried the federal government non commitment in fulfilling its promises.
The ASUU president said despite its meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige on 14th October 2021, on the major outstanding issues including funding for revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution,UTAS, promotion arrears, renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, and the inconsistencies in IPPIS payment, the issues are still lingering.
“ASUU is fully committed to upholding academic integrity in our universities and working to make them more globally competitive. We are equally committed to promoting industrial harmony in the Nigerian University System for as long as all stakeholders are willing and committed to play their parts.
“We call on all Vice-Chancellors, as the main drivers of the system, to join us in this mission to safeguard the waning image of our universities. They have no business trading honorary degrees and academic positions for personal and immediate gains; thereby smearing the collective integrity of committed scholars and other patriots who are working day and night to uplift the system that produced them.
“Our union shall not shy away from taking the fight to administrators of Nigerian universities as well as internal and external agents who are and external agents who are bent on compromising the standard ASUU has consistently laboured to protect and improve.
“It is painful that our Union may soon have no other way of securing the implementation of FGN-ASUU collectively bargained agreements and redressing the criminal neglect of welfare issues of our members by State Governors. Governments of
Nigerian should be held responsible should ASUU be forced to activate the strike it patriotically suspended,” he said.
Speaking on the appointment of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, as a Professor at the Federal University of Technology,FUTO,Owerri, the union said there is the need for the federal government to investigate the controversy surrounding the appointment.
Maintaining that there is something wrong with the appointment of Panatami, the ASUU president said,”The controversy this appointment has generated is unprecedented in the recent history of Nigerian universities. Indeed, it has generated passionate comments and responses from individuals and groups within and outside the nation.
“The controversy centres on the perceived roles played by the University administration in the alleged fraudulent appointment, and the subsequent seeming endorsement by the ASUU branch at FUTO. Consequently, some media commentators – print electronic and social have impugned that the national body of ASUU was in agreement with the position of ASUU FUTO Branch on the said appointment.
“Nothing could be farther from the truth. ASUU, as a Union has never supported, promoted or endorsed any illegal appointment or promotion of academics in any Nigerian University, including those of its members. As a Union, we have always insisted on strict adherence to due process and the rule of law in all aspects of university administration and governance.”
While rejecting the ASUU-FUTO Committee’s report, the union, however, set up an independent committee to investigate all issues surrounding the controversial appointment of Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) as a Professor of Cyber Security in the University.
Asodeke further said, “thereafter, the position of ASUU-NEC shall be made known to the public. In addition, another committee shall visit the ASUU-FUTO branch with a view to determining the role of members in the controversial appointment and report back to NEC for further action.”
