Why we called off strike – ASUU as NANS lauds FG, ASUU for suspension of strike

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National Association of Nigerian Students has lauded the Federal
Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities for calling off
the three-month industrial action in universities.

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NANS’ National Public Relations Officer, Mr Bestman Okereafor,
gave the commendation in a statement issued on Friday in Enugu.

“We wish to commend this positive gesture by the Federal
Government and ASUU, even though we have engaged both parties
during the cause of the three-month strike.

READ ALSO: ASUU calls off three-month-old strike

“We significantly used the third C of ALUTA via the January 30,
Niger Bridge protest organized by NANS Zone B with the full support
of other zonal coordinators.

“Our commendation is however based on the facts that university
students can now go back to school to continue their academic
pursuit, even as the suspension of the long strike will give
students the opportunity to exercise their franchise in the
forthcoming election,’’ he said.

According to him, NANS is passionately appealing to the Federal
Government to find a lasting solution to the Academic Staff Union
of Polytechnic strike soon and to allow the polytechnic students to
get back to school.

“NANS is finally calling on the government to find long lasting
solution to the issues of incessant strike actions in higher
institutions as it has been doing more harm than good to
students,’’ he said.

ASUU and FG in meeting ASUU Strike: INEC alleges 2019 Elections
under threat The union suspended the strike after a memorandum of
Action, MoA, it reached with the Federal government towards the
revitalisation of public universities. The ASUU National
President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi who announced the suspension,
however, said that the union had embarked on the strike to
“stem the continued slide into rot and decay in public universities
since the 1980s.” He however decried the unpatriotic attitudes of
some university chancellors whom he said tried to undermine the
union’s struggle towards ensuring that universities in the country
are revitalised.

The statement reads thus: “ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES
(ASUU), NATIONAL SECRETARIAT. TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE
ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES (ASUU), THURSDAY, 7TH
FEBRUARY, 2019, AT NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS HEADQUARTERS, PASCAL
BAFYAU HOUSE, ABUJA Protocol Friends and compatriots of the Press,
On Sunday, 4th November, 2018, the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) resumed its strike action which was
conditionally suspended on 14th September, 2017. The action of 2017
was suspended following the signing of a Memorandum of Action (MoA)
in which the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) promised to
address the contentious issues within a timeline that was to end in
October 2017.

While announcing the suspension of the nationwide action,
however, our Union made it categorically clear that “ASUU will not
hesitate to review its position should government renege on the
signed Memorandum of Action”. Predictably, Government implemented
the MoA in the breach, thereby forcing ASUU to resume the suspended
strike action. Comrades and compatriots, as we have always argued,
the last thing ASUU members love doing is to cause disruption in
smooth intellectual engagements with colleagues, friends and
students right on our university campuses. This has nothing to do
with the dubious advertorial of “non-disruption of academic
calendar” by proprietors and administrators of some cash-and-carry
universities and other self-styled enemies of ASUU. Rather, it is
about deep-seated pains members of the Union undergo to prevent
strike actions and the equally painful consequences strike
situations bring to all who are genuinely averse to the mercantile
disposition to university education. Why Strike Action? The
question has been asked time and time again:

Why does ASUU like embarking on strike action that causes
disruption and dislocation in the universities? However, ASUU is
strongly convinced that if academics fail to fight the cause of
university education, the fate that befell public primary and
secondary schools would soon become the lot of the public
university system in Nigeria. ASUU’s advocacy on the need to stem
the continued slide into rot and decay in public universities since
the 1980s has fallen on deaf ears. Our experience, as a trade
union, shows that successive governments in Nigeria always entered
into negotiated agreements only to placate those pleading the cause
– be it education, health, transportation, employment or any other
issue of meaningful living. This proclivity of the Nigerian ruling
class, irrespective of which wing of the insensitive stock they
belong, must be continually be tracked, engaged and resisted by all
people of goodwill. ASUU ‘s action strike, which started on 4th
November, 2018, was situated in the context of accumulated records
of indifference and lackadaisical attitude of Government to
negotiated agreements with the Union.

At our media interaction in University of Lagos on 23rd 
December, 2018, we highlighted the outstanding issues in the crisis
to include the following: – Funding for the revitalization of
Public Universities based on the FGN-ASUU MoU of 2012, 2013 and the
MoA  of 2017 – Reconstitution of the current Government Team
to allow for a leader and Chairman of the FG-ASUU Renegotiating
team who has the interest of the nation and the people at heart. –
Release of the forensic audit report on Earned Academic allowances
(EAA), offsetting the outstanding balance of the EAA and
mainstreaming of same into the 2018 budget. – Payment of all
arrears of shortfall in all universities that have met the
verification requirements of the Presidential Initiative on
Continuous Audit (PICA) – Provision of a platform by the federal
government for ASUU to engage Governors on the proliferation of
universities, underfunding of university education and undue
interference in the affairs of the universities – Release of PFA
operational license to NUPEMCO – Payment of EAA to loyal ASUU
members at the University of Ilorin A new Memorandum of Action and
Our Resolution To date, ASUU has had a total of ten (10)
interactive meetings with representatives of FGN which have
culminated into a Memorandum of Action of 2019. Highlights of the
MoA include the following:

In addition to the N20 billion for 2018, the sum of N25 billion
only would be released in April/May 2019, after which government
would resume full implementation of the MoU of 2013. Part-payment
of the outstanding arrears of the earned academic allowances;
defraying the balance up to 2018 in 4 tranches within 36 months;
and mainstreaming further payments of EAA into the annual budgets
beginning from 2019 budget. PICA verification and the release of
the arrears of salary shortfall at the Federal University of
Agriculture, Makurdi, not later than 15th February 2019.
Strengthening the Consultative Committee on State-owned
Universities (CCSOU), inaugurated on Monday, 28th January, 2019 to
look into the issues of proliferation, underfunding and governance
to consistently deliver on its mandate. Payment of the outstanding
EAA arrears of all eligible staff in the University of Ilorin,
especially the loyal ASUU members whose appointments were illegally
terminated by today, 7th February, 2019. Acknowledgement and
appreciation of Government for facilitating the release of the
final letter of approval for the granting of operational license to
NUPEMCO.

Visitation to all Federal Universities would commence
tentatively by 11th March, 2019. Provision of documented guidelines
on procedures and roles of parties in the process of renegotiating
FGN-ASUU Agreement of 2009 which would commence not later than 18th
February 2019 and end by Friday 29th March 2019. Based on the
initial proposals from Government, the Union made extensive
consultations through its various organs. The final level of
consultation was the meeting of the National Executive Council
(NEC) which took place 6th-7th February 2019. NEC resolved that:
Following a careful review of the report of engagements with the
Federal

Government on proposals for addressing all outstanding in the
2013 MoU and 2017 MoA, NEC resolved that the current strike action
by the Union should be suspended conditionally with effect from
12.01 a.m on Friday 8th February 2019. However, should Government
fail to fulfill its part of the agreement as reflected in the 2019
Memorandum of Action, ASUU shall resume its suspended strike action
as the Union deems necessary. Conclusion ASUU notes, with serious
concern, the covert and overt roles of some vice-chancellors in the
management and application of funds attracted by our Union to
Nigeria’s public universities.

Consequently, we condemn, in the strongest terms,
Vice-Chancellors who have made efforts to undermine and, in some
cases, attempted to break our patriotic struggles for the
revitalisation of public universities in Nigeria. ASUU will not shy
away from taking headlong those Vice-Chancellors who are reputed
for acts of impunity, nepotism and other forms of conduct which are
antithetic to university culture and the progressive development of
our universities. Our union will compile all their shenanigans and
forward them to relevant authorities for further action.

Finally, ASUU acknowledges the understanding and support
demonstrated by patriotic Nigerian students and their parents all
through the strike period. We equally appreciate the comradely
assistance from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), represented by
the newly re-elected President, Comrade Ayuba Waba, who has stood
by us throughout the struggle. We also acknowledge the solidarity
of the civil society organisations, especially the Joint Action
Front (JAF) and the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), and members of
the progressive wing of the media who have consistently partnered
with us in our mission to rescue Nigerian public universities from
imminent collapse. While we put a closure to this phase of the
struggle, it is our hope and desire that the Nigerian governments
(Federal and State) will play the roles expected of them in order
to make the new Memorandum work. We shall never abandon our
obligation to ensure the survival of a sound university system. For
ASUU, the struggle certainly continues! Thank you for listening.
Biodun Ogunyemi President 7th February 2018”

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