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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Latest Update on ASUU strike

ASUU-FG face off: Punishment for the innocent
Dr. Sam Egwu, Education Minister
THE proverbial two elephants are at war now with the federal government’s failure to accede to the demands of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the grass, in this case students, is groaning in pain. Already, end of semester examinations were disrupted at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Maiduguri and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka while lectures have stopped. But SULAIMON OLANREWAJU, in this report, writes that the pains of the students transcend the postponement of examinations and stoppage of lectures.

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ACADEMIC Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is determined to make the ongoing strike the mother of all strike actions. The union is resolved not to balk; it is prepared for a long drawn battle. According to the president, Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, ASUU members would stay away from work for as long as it takes the government to decide to meet the demands of the union. To this end, the union has anticipated that the government’s immediate reaction to the strike action will be stoppage of salaries and it has prepared for it. According to Dr. Kabir Olusegun Akinyemi, ASUU chairman at the Lagos State University (LASU), the union has already set up a Coping Strategy Committee (CSC), which would offer assistance to any member of the union in dire need of it in case the government decides to stop salaries of the striking university lecturers. So, he said, thinking that ASUU members would be cowed by withholding salaries would not work.
The union embarked on a strike action Monday last week as a way of forcing the government to grant its demands. An agreement reached between the federal government and the union in 2001 states that the government ought to make adequate budgetary provision for education, improve condition of service that would check the problems of brain drain, ensure university autonomy and academic freedom.
According to ASUU, the government has failed to keep its part of the bargain. Since 2004, the issue of government honouring the agreement it entered into freely with the lecturers has been on and the government at each point has demonstrated lack of interest in the matter. To underscore its lack of commitment to the issue, the Federal Ministry of Education, which hitherto had been negotiating with the union, referred the matter to the Federal Ministry of Labour, a development which piqued the university lecturers to no end.
However, despite the fact that a majority of the people support the agitation of the ASUU, parents and students would want an early resolution of the crisis. According to Mr. Johnson Hezekiah, the earlier the matter is resolved the better it is for everybody, especially the students.
“Really, anyone who has keenly followed the issue will know that ASUU has a justified case. The lecturers are not just fighting for themselves, they are fighting for the survival of the university system,” Hezekiah, who claimed to have two children in different universities said. “ASUU is asking for better funding for the universities. The union is asking the government to improve infrastructure provision in the universities. All of these will lead to an improved university system in the country. Having all these in place would lead to an improvement in the quality of the products of our university system. This fact is well known. However, with the posture of the government, it is going to be a hard battle for the lecturers to win. ASUU has said it would not call off the strike unless the government meets its demands, if the government does not respond in one or two months does that mean that ASUU will remain on strike. What will that mean to the system? How will that help the case of the students? When you are dealing with a stiff necked government, pursuing the hard line will not help. The lecturers should fight for their entitlement but they should bear in mind the situation of their students.”


Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie- ASUU president
Speaking in a similar vein, a 200 level student of medicine at the Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso, Dupe Isola, said the lecturers should take the plight of the students into consideration in making their decisions.
“No matter how long the strike lasts, even if the government refuses to pay their salaries during the strike, the lecturers cannot lose because eventually they will be paid. The losers in this imbroglio are the students,” she said. “If the strike does not go beyond two weeks, then we are lucky because it will not be too difficult for us to catch up but if it goes beyond two weeks, then it will be a real disaster.”
The medical student explained further that the leaders were not interested in developing public universities because their children were either in private universities in the country or foreign ones.
“So both the leaders and the lecturers have nothing to lose. It is the students that will lose. We are the ones who will not be able to complete our course in time. We are the ones that will not be able to go for service early enough. We are the ones that will grow old on campus while still trying to earn the first degree due to no fault of ours. It is not fair,” she said.

Another student, James Ilori, described the development as a demonstration of the heartlessness of the government and the lecturers.

“The government is not bothered about the situation because many of the officials have their wards outside the country. The same goes for our lecturers; many of them have their children in private universities or even abroad. So, why will they not decide to grind the system?”, he queried.
Ilori also explained that the strike action if not resolved early would further destroy the university system and worsen the quality of the products of the nation’s universities.
“How will any university in the country be among the first 1000 in the world? How will foreign universities not reject Nigerian university graduates for postgraduate studies when we always put our universities under lock and key at the flimsiest of excuses? The government is not serious about improving the system but are the lecturers also ready? We have to face the fact; those in authority have no intention to improve the system. The unfortunate thing is that the students are made to suffer unnecessarily. When will this change?”

15 comments:

ENGR C.M.E. STEPHEN said...

ASSU Strike is a Shame to the Government of This supposed Great country, Nigeria.
i am a bonafide citizen of this country.
but happens here is what makes me fury and distorted. Some times i just feel like God should strike our leaders with Thunder and heaving Lightening if that is what will make them do exactly what do already know is good for NIGERIANS.
this facts are not far from them, they (the government know the truth but will continue to pretend, mastermind extortion and slavery of the citizens.
infact i cant continue for if i should i will rather not want to stop.

ASSU Should continue with their strike until the government answers them. COS ITS FOR EVERYBODYS BETTERMENT AND NIGERIA'S.

Unknown said...

Ella john is my name from Federal university of Agriculture makurdi. From the look of things, i think Assu should exercise patient, the lost weeks gone in the name of strike is enough for a reasonable government, they should also remember that our past leader are stil invisibily on sit, so nothing will change. Greedy and selfishness still flows in their vein. We are losing focus to our dreams the more if this practice continue. Lectures think if the government admit a dum head.

Anonymous said...

MY AIM FOR JOINING FUTO IS TO BE A WORLD CLASS ENGINEER. BUT WITH THE ASUU STRIKE, HOW CAN THAT BE. THE GOVT. HAVE GOT TO SATISFY ASUU. THEY DESERVE WHAT EVER THEY ASK FOR.
CHIMAOBI ORJI

Anonymous said...

THIS IS WHAT I CALLED GOVERNMENT MADNESS, ITS A BIG SHAME TO OUR COUNTRY NIGERIA, THAT AT THE AGE OF 49 WE ARE STILL STRUGGLING WITH STRIKE ACTION. INSTEAD OF THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING BETTER. THESE NONSENSE IS AFFECTING ME AND MY FRIENDS.

Anonymous said...

THE GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA HAS FAILED HER PEOPLE, PDP IS NOT WORTH THE AFFAIRS OF THIS COUNTRY.

DR LIVI said...

I think and know that the ongoing strike is affecting everybody even the leader although they pretend not to. I am a citizen of this great country, ASSU is asking for what is their's and i urge the federal govt to give it to them if they can be paying politicians millions of naira and leaving EDUCATION sector suffer in pains. Govt should adhere to the ASSU demand.

Mesheal said...

Nigeria has more than enough money to own the best university in Africa. It sounds impossible but one of the best is in Tanzania. If they could do it, we can ten fold. Yet ill rate our universities among the worst in the world. Its crazy. We should'nt be surprised though, nothing about Nigeria is great. ASSU PS FIGHT FOR US

ugochukwu chiemeka richard said...

I am very ashamed to be counted as a Nigerian student, because it seems like this country has no regard for education. I don't see why the federal government should sit down and watch most of their schools go inactive due to the strike. The position of ASUU is really justified and from my point of view I don't see any other way they will make the government listen except they embark on strike. But as a student (of university of nigeria nsukka)I must confess that I am mnot in the least pleased with this abrupt stoppage of academic activities. This situation has really epitomise the fact that when to elephants fight the grass suffer.It is at times like this I wonder where the president is(though I heard that he is not in the country).Please for the sake of we nigerian students,for the sake of the future of this country,for the sake of our educational system,lett the federal government yeild to ASUU's demands.

Anonymous said...

ASUU strike is justifyable but when two elephant are fighting, the grass suffers. The government should please answer ASUU as they are the one controlling the future of nigeria. If a politician can be collecting millions of naira, I see no reason why People in Education sector should not be collecting more than what the politicians are collecting. I will only plead with the federal government to please consider nigerian students.

Anonymous said...

Since lecturers know that the politicians receive higher pay than them, then they should adopt politics as their secondary or better still primary vocation & stop whimpering like a deprived child.

Perfect said...

I'm PERFECT from UNIPORT. All these things are happening becos Nigeria is too big for one to rule. I pray that their should be war to split this area of land full of evil doers calldd a country and even kill all the corupt leaders. ASUU go ahead.

Anonymous said...

I am Micheal by name,Student Of Ladoke Akintola University Of Technology

Its really a Big Slap on the Government that despite all the money the see from the Country Company..We Student still lack of good facilities in the UNIVERSITY..I can sence from what I have been reading from the news that THE GOVERNMENT ARE NOT READY TO MEET THE DEMAND OF ASUU and I am sure this will couse a long indefinite Strike..But God is Up there looking at you..Wherever Your Kids are studying I mean in Overseas"They will never reep the fruit of their labour",Because you are using our money to fund them and still yet we are here sitting down at home doing nothing while we should be in skul...Now 3month semester is running to 6month...You shall all yern in Pain in Jesus Name...Please Kindly here the voice of the Student and of the Parent which are struggling on us to get the best in life if they dont have the money to send us abroad to Study...HELP I DONT HAVE ANYTHING UPSTAIRS AGAIN BECAUSE OF THE STRIKE...NO TIME TO READ AT HOME...MAY GOD INTERFARE IN THIS MATTER.

Olawale : anti-educational militants said...

I'm Olawale from Olabisi Onabanjo University.
This ongoing strike shows that Nigeria is losing is pose as the giant of Africa.FGN tends to act like big brother to other african countries while its own life seems bothered.
At the beginning,God said let there be light,Oyinbo said let there be electricity,but ASUU said let there be strike.I can only imagine the successful execution of the so called 7 point agenda when govt with 7 point agenda of which education is part of,can't find lastin solution 2 this ongoing strike.I think yar'adua have forgotten the content under the educational aspect of the so called 7 point agenda.
How can the graduates of Nigerian university be given such dignity given to graduates from American university when it can be deduced that they lack basic fundamentals.I wonder where computer science students haven't come across using computer for practicals while in school.
It will be better if FGN can do something before another niger-delta crisis occur in the education sector.Yar'adua do something before it becomes necessary to grant amnesty to educational militants.

Anonymous said...

I CHARLES STANLEY SUMMER, a 3OOL student from ABSU. Listen ASSU & FG, is know more joke that we students, don't have vision to give to this careless nation Nigeria. I don't have much to say, i so much believe that many have said it all. This useless nation need to be refurbished at least we need to wipe everyone that calls himself a politician holding one position or the other starting from Yaradua to the least and the brain behind the fall of this nation eg: Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo & co. etc are to be condemmed to death. Let what happened in Ghana happen to them [ Rholins revolusion]. I don't fear any soul rather than God.

Ebute John said...

My name is Ebute John Onogwu(Stepz),a 200 levelled student of B.sc maths/comp.science,in the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi.Government should try and do something reasonable about this strike because we the entire students of the university are tired of staying at home and we will like to go back to school for full academic work to enable us round up our respective degree programs and get good jobs in the country.Also I will like to appreciate the effort of the Vice Chancellor of the university,Prof.Dr.D.V. Uza for his efort towards our returning back from the strike,may God bless him and continue to guide him with his good works,and also give him wisdom to do things in the right way.University Of Jos has pulled out of the ASUU strike and I'm know the V.C of my institution will be the next to pull out of the strike.Long live Prof.Uza,long live great makurdians,long live The Federal University Of Agriculture Makurdi.