The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration of deliberately pushing lecturers to a nationwide strike.
Naija News reports that this was disclosed by ASUU’s Benin Zone, which comprises 10 universities, at a press conference held on Monday at Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Delta State.
Speaking on behalf of the zonal chapter, the Coordinator, Prof Monday Igbafen, warned Nigerians to hold the Federal Government responsible for an imminent shutdown of public universities, stressing that the government’s refusal to honour agreements and address worsening conditions in the universities was a clear indication that it wanted to cripple the system.
“We want to tell Nigerians not to hold ASUU responsible but hold the Federal Government accountable for the paralysis that will befall Nigerian universities in a few days to come,” Igbafen declared.
The union listed unresolved issues to include the signing of the renegotiated 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, implementation of reviewed conditions of service, release of withheld salaries and promotion arrears, as well as adequate funding for universities.
Igbafen added, “Since the suspension of our last strike action in October 2022, the Federal Government has yet to make good its promise to actualise the review of our dismal conditions of service. It is yet to sign the draft renegotiated 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, which our Union views as a significant milestone in the resolution of the issues at hand.
“The satisfactory and conclusive renegotiation of the Agreement and its successful implementation is the only desirable solution to the worsening living and working conditions of staff, the pandemic problem of underfunding and other challenges of university governance in Nigeria.
“At the moment, the Federal Government is still unwilling to pay up years of arrears of promotion entitlements, still pays lip service to the duty of adequately funding education and continues to be reluctant to release our withheld three and a half months’ salaries and third-party deductions.”
He accused top government officials of deliberately neglecting public education because their children attend school abroad.
Igbafen added, “It is unimaginable that, in the face of the daily exponential increases in the cost of basic services and goods in Nigeria, university lecturers have been abandoned to grapple with the harsh realities of an abysmally poor salary structure they have had to endure for 16 agonising years.
“Nigerians should be aware that this is a critical moment in the history of university education in the country, as it is currently on the precipice.
“It is on this basis that we call on all well-meaning Nigerians students, parents, civil society organizations, the press, the Nigerian Labour Congress, statesmen, captains of industry and other stakeholders to prevail on the Federal and various State Governments in our country to honour their agreements with ASUU and prevent the nation’s educational sector from sliding further into an undesirable level of decay and dysfunction.”
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