The Academic Staff Union of the Universities has accused the
Federal Government of insincerity in implementing an agreement the two
parties reached late last year. Does this portend another strike?
Charles Abah.
For more information and updates visit www.campusflava.com
A third-year Mass Communication student of
the University of Lagos, Vincent Obia, was in his King Jaja hall of
residence on Sunday evening preparing to go to class when his mobile
phone beeped. His initial feeling on receiving the alert was that the
money his uncle, Garuba, promised him had finally ‘arrived’.
Vincent’s
uncle had promised to send him some pocket money to enable him to stay
on campus and concentrate on his studies while the second semester
examination lasts. Vincent was thus eager to read the message. But
disappointment was the lot of the youngster as he accessed the text
message. Instead of the expected “financial windfall” from his uncle, it
was a different note from his childhood friend, Gabriel.
Gabriel,
a Theatre Arts undergraduate of the University of Ibadan, had sent the
text message to his friend to intimate him of the briefing held by the
Academic Staff Union of Universities of the institution on Saturday in
Ibadan.
In fact, the content of the message shows that ASUU
members are not happy with the Federal Government over the
implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding the two parties
reached last December. Vincent, who initially felt bad for not receiving
the “needed” text message from his uncle, had his psychological
problems more compounded on reading Gabriel’s message.
His
countenance changed immediately. By his calculation, he is looking
forward to his final year in the university as soon as possible and
wishes that nothing disrupts this plan. It is therefore not surprising
that he wore a more pitiable look on comprehending his friend’s message.
“What
is all this about? Are they planning to embark on another strike so
soon? How many years will I spend in the university?” These and many
questions occupied the young lad’s inner recesses.
Indeed, when
last December 17 ASUU called off its six-month strike, many Nigerians,
particularly students, heaved a sigh of relief that, at last, peace
would eventually reign in the nation’s public universities.
Of
course, they had every reason to hold this view, since the last strike
by university teachers lasted for 169 days. The action started on July 1
and ended December 17, 2013.
But the ASUU’s disclosure in Ibadan
on Saturday seems to once again want to threaten the fragile calm in
the nation’s public universities. The union members want Nigerians to
urge the Federal Government to comply with the agreement the two parties
signed on December 11, 2013. Accusing the Goodluck Jonathan
administration of insincerity, they say it is not respecting plan for
the implementation of the pact, especially the segment that borders on
the funding of the universities.
According to ASUU’s National
Treasurer, Dr. Ademola Aremu, the government has not kept its part of
the bargain despite the assurances it made before the suspension of the
strike. He says, “It is becoming disturbing to the union that despite
signing papers (MoU) and calling off the strike, allocation of the funds
reportedly deposited at the Central Bank of Nigeria for execution of
needs project of Nigerian universities has yet to commence – two months
into the 2014.”
He stresses that apart from the non-victimisation
clause so far honoured, the FG has yet to implement the funding aspect
of the agreement.
Aremu is not alone in crying aloud for
attention. The ASUU-UI chapter Chairman, Dr. Olusegun Ajiboye, also
accuses the FG of foot-dragging in the implementation process, saying
students have yet to benefit from the last strike.
According to
him, nothing has changed in all the public universities. He says the
union is “tired of earmarking instead of eye-marking funds for projects
execution in the universities”.
Before ASUU called off the strike last December, the FG had promised to inject N1.3tn to fund the public universities.
Following
a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, the government agreed to
inject the sum into public universities between 2013 and 2018.
The
FG also promised to inject N220bn yearly into the public universities,
beginning from 2014. However, for the remaining part of 2013, it agreed
to domicile N200bn in a special account at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The
government, which promised to domicile the N1.3tn at the apex bank to
show its commitment to the agreement, also pledged to release the money
on a quarterly basis to the universities to cater for the funding of the
sector.
The two parties also agreed that the National
Universities Commission and the Trade Union Congress would be the joint
guarantors of the agreement while the minister of education would be the
implementing officer.
But accusing the FG of insincerity, Aremu
notes that the FG ought to have initiated the process of depositing an
additional N55bn for the first quarter of 2014 as agreed in the MoU.
Reacting
to the development, an education consultant, Mr. Peter Ogodoro, says
the blame for not honouring the pact need not go to the government
alone. He notes that ASUU was too persistent in its demands, not
considering the accumulated economic challenges that the nation faces.
However,
another educationist, Dr. Olusegun Omisore, thinks otherwise. According
to him, the authorities do not respect agreements and so it will be
strange for them to honour the last deal with ASUU.
He adds, “The
paltry annual allocation to education in the country shows the
considerations the authorities give to the sector. Education is getting
secondary or even tertiary attention here. The country’s leadership is
not taking it seriously and this is amazing because the President is an
intellectual. For me, he should look at the sector as one of his
immediate constituents.”
Noting that a breach in the agreement
will further throw the nation’s public universities into a state of
hopelessness, he counsels that the interest of the students should
receive utmost consideration. He adds that toying with education will be
akin to playing with the future of the country.
For Prof. Kayode
Soremekun of the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, that ASUU has
raised the alarm is a warning signal for the government to do what is
right. The professor of International Relations also enjoins the
Committee of Vice-Chancellors to live up to its responsibilities, saying
the committee should be the whistle-blower instead of ASUU.
According
to him, the vice-chancellors are the official managers of resources in
the universities and if they keep quiet over this, then it is a
“disgraceful silence.”
But beyond the suspicion of the alleged
insincerity, Ogodoro urges all stakeholders to be involved in resolving
the crisis in the sector, declaring that the problems of university
education are not for ASUU alone to solve. Omisore also holds the view
that the country’s education requires emergency operations in order to
solve its myriad of problems. He says, “We need to truly engage our
children and youths instead of brutalising them.”
But the Federal Government has denied reneging on the MoU reached with the union.
In
an interview with one of our correspondents, Simeon Nwakaudu, who is
the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike,
says, “It is not true. The Federal government is following the
implementation of the agreement and ASUU is part of the implementation
monitoring committee.
“Funds are with the universities; it is not
ASUU that is implementing it. The monies are paid to the respective
universities which are implementing the agreement.
“The
universities are doing their procurement now for funds that have been
released. When they conclude their procurement, the next tranche will be
released.”
Nwakaudu says the implementation is at the different levels in various institutions.
“As
you are aware none of the universities has said fund has not been
released to it. The exact amount has been released as due. There is no
cause for generating tension in the system”, he adds
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