EducationSpecial Report

ASUU VS FG: The Cacophony of Two Irresponsible Entities

By Ranmilowo Ojalumo

Two entities, the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been at loggerhead over the years, running into decades.

The loggerhead has done a great damage to the nation’s university system over the years as ASUU will always go on strike. In the course of the strike both parties will start negotiation and after a supposed compromised must have been reached, ASUU will resume work. But in no distant time, ASUU will cry out again that the government has not fulfilled his promise upon which the last strike was called off. The body will give the federal government ultimatum and failure to meet the date line will bring another strike. As of the time of this report, between 1999 and October, 2022, which is 23-year period, ASUU had embarked on 16 strikes.

The loggerhead between federal government of Nigeria and ASUU, leading to strike has been happening for decades and the most recent of it, as of the time of filling this report started on February 14, 2022 and lasted for about eight months when it ended on October 14, 2022. ASUU had embarked on the strike over what it described as the failure of the government to meet lingering demands of the union and the federal universities and some state owned universities (state universities on solidarity) were under lock and key for the whole period and the students all at home.

The causes of the eight month old strike

While addressing the media at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, on eve of the commencement of the strike, the union’s president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke said the strike became inevitable because of government’s failure to implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed between the union and the government. Another reason mentioned was the government’s poor commitment to the payment of academic earned allowance (EAA). Others reasons are the continued use of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System and refusal to adopt the Universities Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), and proliferation of the universities in the country.

Speaking on IPPIS, the union in its communique, said: “The imposition of this grotesque platform challenged our union to develop an alternative system to IPPIS – the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS). This locally developed and cost-effective alternative payment platform has the distinct capacity to check corruption and preserve the hard-earned autonomy of Nigerian universities for the good of the country. Regrettably, FGN is still foot-dragging over its adoption, contrary to an earlier agreement with our union, thereby allowing the financial chaos heralded by IPPIS to continue.”

On EAA ASUU said: “Compatriots of the press, the Federal Government promised to mainstream the EAA into the annual federal budget in the various memoranda signed with ASUU and the Government recently released N221 billion for payment of some EAA allowances. However, many years of unpaid entitlements are outstanding, serving as triggers for industrial crisis in our universities.”

The union also accused the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of encroaching on the statutory roles of the senates of universities over the admission of candidates by the institutions. The union also frowned at the recent appointment of Nigeria’s minister of communications and digital economy, Isa Ibrahim, as a professor at a federal university (FUTO) and threatened to sanction all those it said took part in the processes leading to what it described as the illegal appointment.

In the midst of the strike, neither the Federal government nor ASUU has owned up. Instead, both parties have been making statements that are unpleasant to the ear of the students, parents and the general public. The discord between the two parties is always reflected in the statement they are releasing to the public. Both parties have claimed irresponsibility. The government said it’s not responsible for the lingering strike; ASUU on the other said it’s not responsible. ASUU has been blaming federal government, the federal government on the other hand has been blaming ASUU, the question then is who is to be blamed and who is responsible for this anomaly?

ASUU absolved self

Since the beginning of the strike and till this moment when the union has resumed work, ASUU has been saying the government should be blamed. The zonal coordinator and senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Uyo, UNIUYO, Dr. Aniekan Brown, in August said in an interview that Nigerians blaming the union for the prolonged industrial action lacked knowledge about their real demands.

“But my view is that anybody who will take offence with the union, anybody who is blaming ASUU today does that out of ignorance. So, I will appeal to them to take it easy and understand with us. What ASUU is doing is a selfless struggle. For those who are blaming ASUU, our challenge is to educate them, because if they had known why we are on strike, they will not blame ASUU”, Brown said.

 In one of its press release on August 29, 2022, ASUU claimed that the strike action was meant to save the public universities. The National Executive Council (NEC) of the union, in an emergency meeting at its National Secretariat, in Abuja on Sunday, 28th August, 2022 said the Union had experienced a lot of deceit of the highest level in the last five and half years as the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) engaged ASUU in fruitless and unending negotiation without a display of utmost fidelity.

ASUU President, Professor Victor Emmanuel Osodeke,

The press release issued and signed by the National president of the union, Professor Victor Emmanuel Osodeke, shortly after the meeting reads in part: “In 2017, the Federal Government constituted a committee to renegotiate the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement under the chairmanship of Dr. Wale Babalakin. After three years of fruitless negotiation, Dr. Babalakin was replaced in December 2020 with Professor Emeritus Munzali Jibril. The Renegotiation Committee produced and submitted a draft agreement to the Federal Government in May, 2021. It is sad that, until 14th February, 2022 when the ongoing strike commenced, the Federal Government made no significant efforts to either sign the agreement or commence implementation. It was only after the commencement of this strike that the Federal Government reconstituted the committee with Professor Emeritus Nimi Briggs appointed Chairman to lead the Government Team.

“NEC recalled that, before meeting with our Union, the Nimi Briggs Committee confirmed to ASUU in writing that it was consulting with all relevant stakeholders in order to aggregate Government’s position/offer. After intensive bargaining, ASUU came to a compromise with the Professor Briggs-led Team leading to the submission of the second Draft Agreement to the Federal Government in June, 2022 for consideration and approval for signing by the two parties within one week. This was done in line with the principle of collective bargaining. Shortly after and against all expectations, however, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, and later his Minister of State, Festus Kayamo, alleged that the Union chased away representatives of government agencies and thereafter fixed unreasonable and unimplementable salary package for its members. They claimed that the government would need to borrow 1.6 trillion Naira to implement the Draft Agreement; a claim that is not only malicious but contrived to blackmail the Union. Subsequently, some miserable, unilateral, and insulting take-it or-leave-it offers of between N30, 000 and N60,000 monthly salary were thrown at the Union. This was obviously an attempt to abrogate the principle of collective bargaining which has guided ASUU engagements with Federal Government since 1981.

“NEC noted that ASUU and other well-meaning Nigerians have expressed serious disappointment by and consternation on the attitude of the Government conveyed by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who had deliberately misinformed the public and reduced the current struggle of ASUU to the payment of withheld salaries, claiming that all other contentious issues had been resolved. For the avoidance of doubt, however, none of the issues that forced our Union to resume the suspended strike as listed in the December 2020 FGN-ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA) has been satisfactorily addressed by the Government to date.

“The draft renegotiated FGN-ASUU Agreement (second draft) remains unsigned; the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) has not been adopted and deployed to replace the discredited Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS); and the White Papers on Visitation Panels to Federal Universities, if ready as claimed by Government more than six months ago, are nowhere to be found. Similarly, Government has not delivered on the promised balance of one tranche of the Revitalization Fund more than one year after, the outstanding two tranches of the Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) have not been released; and nothing has since happened on the promised support for amendment to the Law of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to stem the tide of proliferation of universities especially by the State Governments.

“NEC was utterly disappointed in agents of Government, especially the Minister of Education, for the deliberate falsehood and misrepresentation of facts aimed at scoring cheap political gains. It is disheartening to imagine that a Minister whose responsibility it is to resolve the crisis can overnight turn round to lead in this ignoble enterprise of distorting facts and misleading Nigerians. The disdain with which the Minister of Education handled questions about the ongoing ASUU strike at his distasteful Press Conference on Thursday, 18th August, 2022 lends credence to the widespread suspicion that the current Government never believed in saving public universities from the misfortunes that have befallen Nigeria’s public primary and secondary schools.

“NEC noted with delight that, in defence of the integrity of the process leading to the agreement reached with government, the Briggs Committee has, in a well publicised newspaper advertorial, confirmed that all the proposals and recommendations it made to ASUU were properly discussed and cleared with their Principal. The Committee also confirmed that throughout the renegotiation process, all the relevant government agencies, including National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Budget and Finance and Federal Character Commission (FCC), were in attendance. In addition, the paid advert by the Briggs-led Government Team equally showed that the figure of N1.1 Trillion quoted by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, and his Minister of State, Festus Keyamo, and some other government officials as amount needed to implement the salary increase, came from some imaginative blues and was no way close to reality. We commend members of Nimi Briggs-led Team for their unprecedented act of courage. By this singular act, the Team has put the lie to official propaganda against ASUU and the entire renegotiation process. May this race of Nigerians multiply!

“NEC observed with displeasure that some mischievous Vice-Chancellors and Chairpersons of Governing Councils of State Universities have evolved disingenuous underhand tactics to undermine the current ASUU struggle in their various Universities. ASUU struggles are to save Nigerian public universities irrespective of ownership – Federal or State. The Union views with all seriousness the fact that the sanctimonious behaviour of these university administrators and managers does not stop them from accessing yearly grants of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) which ASUU struggles of the 1980s and 1990s brought to life. Neither did their holier-than-thou attitude keep these invidious individuals from jumping into the next flight to come for project defence each time ASUU struggles had translated into some handsome funds for the revitalization of their universities (hostels, laboratories, workshops, lecture theatres, etc.). ASUU shall use all legitimate means at its disposal to protect and defend the interests of our members in public universities who may be victimised on the account of the ongoing struggles.

“ASUU NEC noted with pains, its concerns for Nigerian students who are also our wards and foster children and condemned Government’s seeming indifference to their plights. The Union empathizes with the students, their parents, as well as other stakeholders (including our colleagues who are undertaking their higher degrees) in the universities. ASUU reaffirms its belief in the sanctity of a stable academic system. Were it within our control, our universities would never have been shut for one day! However, ASUU was forced into taking this painful decision to prevent members of the Nigerian Children from the ruling class and their foreign collaborators from further destroying whatever is left of our public universities.

“We are all victims. We need the understanding, solidarity and sacrifices of all to ensure that every qualified Nigerian youth who cannot afford the cost of private university education or foreign studies has unhindered access to quality university education. ASUU strikes are aimed at saving public education, and ensuring that Governments (Federal and State) use our common patrimony to support quality public university education. This is our collective obligation.

“NEC acknowledged with appreciation past and current efforts by eminent Nigerians and groups to mediate in the lingering crisis. Our Union remains open to reasonable engagements as we have always done. However, ASUU remains focused on the full implementation of the 23rd December, 2020 Memorandum of Action for quick restoration of industrial harmony in Nigeria’s public universities.

Adamu absolved FG

Adamu

“In view of the foregoing, and following extensive deliberations on Government’s response to the resolution of 14th February, 2022 so far, NEC concluded that the demands of the Union had not been satisfactorily addressed. Consequently, NEC resolved to transmute the roll-over strike to a comprehensive, total and indefinite strike action beginning from 12.01a.m on Monday, 29th August, 2022”.

But the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu on Wednesday September 7, 2022 absolved the president, Muhammadu Buhari led federal government of any blame in the strike, saying the president has done all within his powers to meet the offer of the university’s union. The minister who spoke on Channels TV Politics stated that Nigerians have no reason to be disappointed with the government on the issue.

He said, “If Nigerians are disappointed, I think they don’t have very good reason to be disappointed with the government on this issue. Why should they be disappointed? Just tell me why it is the fault of the government and not that of the union. You can only blame the government if it refuses to satisfy their demands.”

Adamu, in the interview, further outlined the Federal Government’s efforts to resolve the industrial action saying that the government has proposed a one-time package for the striking lecturers, explaining that it won’t be paid in instalments, unlike previous agreements.

He said, “The agreement we reached or the position of the government that I offered is something government can pay if they say they will agree. There is an increase in salary for university staff, 23.5% for all categories of the workforce in Federal Universities and 35% for professors. The same applies to Polytechnics and Colleges of education. There is another 150 billion for rehabilitation and for earned allowances.

“There is also the issue of platform to be used for payment of salaries, the president is now waiting for the report of the technical committee set up to look into the three platforms. From what I have seen, the U3PS is probably the best followed by UTAS and then IPPIS. The acceptance of the IPPIS depends on the report given to the president.”

Adamu noted further that the new salary review will be included in the 2023 budget while adding that the strike action triggered the review. He said, “The new salary will be in the 2023 budget. It has been captured which means it won’t be paid immediately.

He said “there is currently a backlog of payments being done with the IPPISS platform. The new platform to be adopted might be a combination of the three platforms under review. The new increment is based on the government decision to increase salary. The best idea for any salary increment is inflation and for a very long time, there has not been any review. The crisis now probably triggered the government to start with the university people and probably when the economy improves, it will be done across all sectors.”

Similarly, the youth leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr Dayo Isreal insists that the federal government should not be blamed for the unfortunate development. Speaking to reporters during the progressive young leader’s summit held in Abuja, he maintained that the strike action would come to an end if the striking lecturers yield considerable grounds. The youth leader also faulted the widely held notion that the entire university system has been grounded due to the strike action embarked upon by ASUU.

“It’s a trade relation matter that the government has committed. I give you an example, the federal government says we are your employer, we want to pay you through IPPIS, the lecturers are saying we want to tell you how you want to pay us, pay us through UTAS. “These are issues that are fundamental and must be dealt with. You work for a TV station, it is had to say to your employer, don’t pay me by bank account transfer at the end of the month, give me cash. That is the issue that is going on here, Isreal said.

UNIBEN lecturer indicted ASUU

While ASUU has said the federal government should be blamed, a Professor of Services Computing, Department of Computer Science, University of Benin, Benin City Edo State, Prof. Godspower Ekuobase has different view even though he’s also an academia. He publicly announced in one of his articles shared to the public that ASUU is the problem of education in Nigeria. “I write this piece to expose, as an insider, the realities of Academics in Nigeria towards rescuing the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) from the asphyxiation of ASUU and redirect ASUU to the path of patriotism”, prof. Ekuobase said in the second paragraph of the write up.  

In the next paragraph, the professor said “ASUU should be humble enough to accept that we are not paid for certificates acquired, but we are paid to do our job of teaching, impactful research and community services within and outside the university with utmost professionalism and integrity and without fear or favour. If we say the truth, every Nigerian graduate has one or more lecturers that taught him/her that he/she wondered, and is still wondering, how the lecturer got thus far, even to the peak. I mean Professors! Maybe I am one of those lecturers, but it is high time we said the truth. Besides, many of the excellent students could not come into academics because we are guilty of what we accuse FGN – nepotism and tribalism!”

“….ASUU may say they are not responsible for promotion or employment in any university. Who then does? ASUU members of course! Vice Chancellors, Deans, Heads of Departments and Professors are not military officers, APC or PDP members but ASUU members. ASUU is only interested in collecting dues with no mechanism in place to maintain the integrity and progression of Academics in Nigeria. It is important Nigerians know that FGN does not interfere in the appointment and promotion of Academic staff in any university. ASUU should drop this pride and let us move Nigeria forward.    

“The second reason why ASUU ignorantly persecutes Nigerians is that they are lost in ecstasy against the Nigerian state. They have abdicated their role of clamouring for members’ welfare and have constituted themselves into a quasi-political party and self-made opposition to any government in power. Most Nigerians who are either polygamous or from polygamous home, will agree that the wife that antagonises her husband the most, get the least from her husband no matter how good or rich the man is.

“Permanent Secretaries or Judges earn more than a Professor they will tell us and get us drunk with the wine of pride, adducing these categories of workers enjoy what they enjoy because they are puppets to politicians or government in power; and that ASUU will not falter its integrity and will remain the voice of the downtrodden.  

“Enough of this hypocrisy! At least in recent times, ASUU decides who rules this country and it is only when there are disputes, the judiciary arbitrate. When many staunch ASUU supporters discuss how they went about conniving with politicians of varying political parties to get them or their cronies installed in power, you will weep for this country.

“…ASUU like most trade unions should concentrate their energy on their members’ welfare – they should always come out straight with their welfare demands instead of their holier and richer than thou posture. We should be humble to say the truth, our salary is not enough not because we are better than other Nigerian workers or earn less but because of the nature of our job – even if we have all the comforts and tools to do research, we spend a fortune to get them published.

“…On the average, a Lecturer will require thirty to forty publications with about 1/3rd of them published with foreign currency, to be a Professor. To say the truth, a dedicated Lecturer with high integrity, which most of us are, is poor. With sustained support for any government in power, in our capacity as academics, the cooperation of other trade unions, and logical persuasions, we will get something from the government. Something is better than nothing! Do not judge us based on our packaging. We are suffering but smiling! Instead of ASUU to consistently market this truth, they have worsened the poverty of Nigerian academics by avoiding it; claiming that the Nigerian Universities are poorly equipped and citing autonomy and other smoky issues.

“…If ASUU is truly democratic, they are supposed to bow to the voice of the majority. The truth on the IPPIS issue is, you may not like Buhari or the APC lead FGN, IPPIS is a holy ICT innovation capable of effectively preventing corruption, without a fight, on our national payroll. Globally, preventive means of checking corruption is cheaper and greener than the curative means of fighting corruption. No doubt, as with all ICT innovations and deployments, there are bound to be teething problems which do wear away with time. IPPIS provides the long-awaited opportunity for ASUU to exercise their academic autonomy and bootstrap Nigerian Universities to its pride of place. I wish to let Nigerians know that all ASUU is saying about IPPIS is pure propaganda against FGN.

“…I challenge ASUU to an open debate on IPPIS.   Let us examine the smoky issues of funding, infrastructural decay and autonomy that ASUU has consistently used to blackmail FGN and woo the sympathy of Nigerians. It is important to note that the National University Commission (NUC) is an instrument of FGN to ensure Nigerian Universities meet up with global standards. NUC is doing an excellent job to guarantee high standard university education for Nigerians and foreigners alike”.

What happens next?

On October 14, exactly eight months into the strike, ASUU called off the strike and resumed work and according to the union president, the union called off the strike because of the order of the industrial court, the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. Osodeke, however, regretted that the issues that led to the eight months long strike were yet to be satisfactorily addressed; and according to him, the issues include: Funding for Revitalisation of public universities Earned Academic Allowances; Proliferation of public Universities; Visitation Panels/Release of White Papers; University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a broad spectrum software to stop illegality and provide for an alternative payment platform in the university system.

Although, the union has resumed work on October 14, 2022, it has officially filed an appeal against the National Industrial Court (NIC) ruling directing its members to suspend its eight-month-old strike. Reports have it that ASUU’s lawyer, Femi Falana, confirmed the appeal. Although, as of the time of filling this report, ASUU has resumed work but a major twist to ASUU’s appeal is the possibility and fear that the union may go on strike again if the appeal favours it and the government fails to meet its demands.

As of the time of filling this report, the latest development was the payment of half salary to lecturers by the government. The government said it can’t pay for the work the lecturer did not do, a development the union has rejected. Although some NEC members of the union have said it can’t embark on another strike for now because the matter is still in court and the intervention of Gbajabiamila, nobody knows what will happen next. Will there be another strike? Will the two parties- the federal government and ASUU jointly accept responsibility for the anomalies in the university and permanently make strike a thing of the past? Fingers are crossed but until the federal government and ASUU stop the blaming game and both take responsibility for the anomalies in the public universities, strike action may persist.

editor

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