On Tuesday, August 30, the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) issued a warning to the federal
government on a planned nationwide strike.
ASUU
The union said the warning for the strike is a push for
its demand for the implementation of it 2009
agreement with the Nigerian government.
Also, during a meeting with journalists in Abuja on
July 18, the ASUU president Biodun Ogunyemi listed
major issues the federal government is yet to honour
in the agreement.
Ogunyemi had said: “Comrades and compatriots, our
union is seriously worried about a number of issues
emanating from the 2009 agreement and
subsequently, the 2013 memorandum of
understanding with the federal government which have
remained unaddressed.”
kinzwap new$ has gathered eight of the major issues and
demand made by ASUU.
These demands, the federal government of Nigeria is
yet to honour might as well lead to another prolonged
strike by university lecturers.
Below are the issues:
1. Earned academic allowances (EAA):
In efforts to resolve the June/ November crisis in
2013 between FG and ASUU, the Nigerian
government through an Agreement Implementation
Committee promised the union a payment of an
outstanding balance of N128.25 billion ( N65.83
billion between 2009 and 2013, and N62.41 between
2014 and 2016).
However, the union has said that the government has
not paid “a kobo” beyond an initial N30 billion it paid
university staff as part of EAA in 2013 – a clear
breach of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by
both parties.
2. Funding of Universities:
The union said based on the FGN-ASUU MoU of
November 2013, the Nigerian government was in
arrears of N495 billion as at first quarter of 2016 in
respect to the Needs Assessment Funds for the
Revitalization of Public Universities.
“As at that moment, all Nigerian universities were in a
state of serious funding crisis, which is becoming
worse,” Ogunyemi had said.
Graduating students of Lagos State University
He also said that as at then almost all public
universities had started experiencing reduction in their
personnel cost.
The FG in the MoU promised to gradually work
towards 26% budgetary allocation recommended by
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO).
This promise is yet to be fulfilled rather budgetary
allocation to education has dropped from 12% to 11%
and the 8% in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
3. Staff salaries:
Contrary to the provisions of the FGN-ASUU
agreement, the federal government is yet to address
the issue of salaries – shortfall in university lecturers’
salaries and non-payment of salaries in staff primary
schools since December 2015.
FG in its promise said it will address the salary issues
with regards to the passage of the budget; this is yet
to be fulfilled.
4. Antics of the state governments:
Also, ASUU while decrying the under funding of
Nigerian public universities said the state-owned
universities have become worse over the years.
Ogunyemi had said: “State governments have been
neglecting universities that they established; and some
state governors are going ahead to establish new ones
while those brought to life by their predecessors in
office are neglected to rot and die.
“Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Igwoye and Ladoke
Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho have
not received subvention from the owner governments
for upward of nine months,” he had said.
Ogunyemi also said that academics at the Niger Delta
University are owned nothing less than five months
salaries.
He said the union will not hesitate to defend the rights
of citizens to the right to education guaranteed by the
Nigerian Constitution.
5. TSA and University Autonomy:
Following the implementation of the Treasury Single
Account (TSA), ASUU lamented difficulties federal
universities faces to discharge its core responsibilities –
teaching, research, community service and engaging in
international academic networking.
President of Nigeria
The union said the TSA is incompatible with the
autonomy of universities and that universities should
be exempted from the implementation on account of
peculiarities of the institutions.
6. Renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU
agreement
ASUU has also lamented government’s reluctance to set
its negotiating team for the review of the 2009
agreement.
The union said since 2012, it has consistently called on
the federal government to constitute its own committee
team members.
7. Amendment of JAMB, NUC and National Minimum
Standards and Establishment of Institutions Acts of
2004:
The 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement recognized the
need to amend the 2004 Acts of the Joint Admissions
and Matriculation Board, National Universities
Commission and National Minimum Standards and
Establishment of Institutions Acts.
Also both government and the union teams approved
appropriate dates for consideration by lawmakers.
However; the process has been stalled after the end of
the seventh Assembly under the leadership of Uche
Chukwumerije who was the chairman of the National
Assembly committee on education.
8.Pension:
Like other agreements, ASUU lamented that the
Pension Reform Act 2014 does not conform to the
FGN-ASUU 2009 agreement which allows professors
and associate professors to retire at the age of 70 with
their salaries.
The union also said the PENCOM management
refused to acknowledge and look into its application for
the licencing of Nigerian Universities Pension
Management Committee. This too, is yet to be
honoured.