The five-month-old face-off between the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, over non-implementation of the 2009 agreement assumed a dramatic dimension yesterday, as the government vowed to sack any
lecturer who fails to return to class within seven days.
The government has, therefore, directed all vice- chancellors of federal universities that are currently on strike to immediately re-open for academic and allied activities.
The striking lecturers on their part, declared the directive by the Federal Government a joke, saying they will never be intimidated into calling off the strike.
Supervising Minister of Education, Mr Nyesom Wike who briefed journalists in Abuja yesterday on the strike said it was rather unfortunate that after a 13-hour meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja on November 4, 2013, the union came up with new conditions before they could call off the strike.
He said it was obvious that the new conditions put forward by ASUU were not in the interest of the nation. One of the conditions was that President Jonathan should facilitate endorsement of resolutions reached with him, which must be signed by a high ranking government official, preferably the Attorney-General of the Federation but not a permanent secretary. ASUU said their representative as well as the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Abdulwahid Omar, would stand as witnesses.
The striking lecturers also wanted the N200 billion agreed upon as 2013 revitalisation fund for public universities to be lodged with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and disbursed to the benefitting universities. They also want the government to pay their salary arrears before resuming academic activities.
Resume or get sacked— Wike
Speaking with newsmen, yesterday, Wike said: “All Vice-chancellors of Federal Universities that are on strike should immediately reopen for academic and allied activities as directed by their Pro-Chancellors.
Vice-Chancellors should ensure that staff who resume for work are provided with the enabling environment for academic and allied activities. “Any academic staff who fails to resume on or before December 4, 2013, automatically ceases to be staff of
the institution and vice-chancellors are also directed to advertise vacancies (internal and external) in their institutions”. He also accused ASUU of sabotaging the effort of government in addressing the issues especially after having a 13-hour meeting with President Jonathan where all issues were resolved and firm commitments were made.
He said ASUU first met with Vice- President Namadi Sambo but there was no positive response; so they met with President Jonathan on November 4.
He said: “On November 4, 2013, in a 13 hour meeting, President Goodluck Jonathan met with the ASUU executive, the labour union leaders from Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, where all issues were resolved and firm commitments made to address the lingering issues.
“It is noteworthy that Mr. President’s gesture was more than sufficient to guarantee the commitment of Government to address all issues as resolved at the meeting with Mr. President.
“At the end of the meeting with Mr. President, the ASUU executive promised to meet with its National Executive Committee to present the resolutions reached and report back by Friday November 8, 2013.
“As a responsible government we cannot allow continuous closure of our public universities for this length of time (five months), as this poses danger to the education system, the future of our youths and national development”.
The students had converged on Lady Jibowu Hall, Ekiti Government House where they held the prayer session, yesterday. The session had in attendance, the state’s Deputy Governor, Prof essorModupe Adelabu and some clerics. Mrs Adelabu in her remarks cautioned the students against taking to the streets and engaging in illegal acts that could lead to violence and disruption of peace in the state.
The Deputy Governor noted that the students did the right thing by taking their petition before God. She said it was unfortunate that both parties to the dispute – ASUU and the Federal Government remained adamant despite interventions from well-meaning Nigerians.
She then urged the students not to relent in their regular prayer for divine intervention, saying that the death of Prof Festus Iyayi, a frontline ASUU member in an auto-crash along the Abuja-Lokoja Road introduced another twist to the lingering dispute.
All fingers and legs crossed..... Hoping for the best
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