The Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) has expressed readiness to declare a nationwide strike anytime, for all its members across public universities in the country.
The union said the Federal Government’s unwillingness to meet its age-long demands despite its consistent appeals and waiting for action pushed them to think in this direction.
The union gave this position on Tuesday at a news conference addressed by the Lagos Zone of the union, comprising seven universities.
The conference was held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka, with all the union branch leaders from the zone in attendance,
Addressing newsmen at the forum, the Coordinator of the zone, Prof Adelaja Odukoya, said the only saving grace that could stop them from embarking on the proposed industrial action is only for the federal government to do the needful fast.
He said the union could no longer tolerate the “Federal Government insensitivity” to the plights of its members and that of the public universities and the country as a whole.
He declared that ASUU as an entity and its members are not afraid in any way to embark on industrial action when necessary, saying it has the absolute right to do so.
He noted that the threat of a ‘no work, no pay’ rule by the government would never be applicable to them as the policy is totally unknown in global labour laws, which Nigeria is a signatory.
He added that they may even decide to be at their duty posts without working, asking what would happen if they chose such a step.
He said it was high time Nigeria’s political leaders stopped treating scholars as slaves.
Giving the background to the current decision which he said was a fallout of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Obafemi Awołowo University, Ile-Ife, between Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May 2024, Odukoya said, “Our union assessed the outcomes of its engagements with the State and Federal governments over the last few months, on matters pertaining to the status of developments around the renegotiated 2009 Agreement, reconstitution of governing Councils, payment of owed salaries and earned academic allowances (EAA), unremitted deductions made by the discredited disruptive and discredited IPPIS, proliferation of universities, and a number of other matters.
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“NEC also had a critical review of government policies and actions that had led to the present deteriorated living and working conditions across the country and in our universities particularly.
“So, it was generally acknowledged that the political elite in Nigeria has continued to unleash anti-people and anti-intellectual policies which continued to plunge the Nigerians into despondency and thereby making long-term development of our universities and indeed the educational system a mirage.
“The grip of the political class on our people, their actions and policies continue to give a kick to their adopted master-servant relationship in relating with the academia and indeed the Nigerian people.
“Our union, as one of the voices of the oppressed people of this country would continue to fight for good governance.”
Odukoya further explained that most of the issues mentioned had been unaddressed by the government for many years.
He said it was disheartening that Nigeria’s government at all levels was only quick to make promises and agreements without the mind of not fulfilling them, arguing that such attitude would have to stop for the education sector to move forward and Nigeria to progress appreciably.
Speaking on the newly constituted governing councils for federal universities by the Federal government, Odukoya said as far as ASUU is concerned, all the new councils are illegal.
He explained that what ASUU asked the Federal Government to do about a year ago when it dissolved them, was to recall them to complete their tenures in line with the University Act upon which they were constituted for the first instance.
“So, we are not talking about the personalities and composition in the list but the illegality of constituting new councils,” he stressed.
Odukoya, who is a professor of Political science at UNILAG, also declared that “Nigeria at the moment is on the verge of collapse, and all of its parts are being pulled along with it by the type of leaders who control its political and administrative spheres.
He noted that ASUU would not give up on its struggles for a better public university education and a better Nigeria.
According to him, we are in a global knowledge economy where the primacy of university education is a categorical imperative.
“Unfortunately, our leaders at both State and Federal levels appear to remain fossilised in stone age mentality with their anti-intellectual and parochial orientation.
“If Nigeria must be great, the central role of universities cannot be over-emphasized.
“In other to perform its developmental mandate our public universities like their counterparts across the globe must enjoy autonomy in teaching and governance.”
Furthermore, these public universities must be properly funded. Rather than proliferating universities in the country, it is no rocket science that it is far better to enhance the capacity and access of these universities and make them globally competitive.
“Above all, the prevailing criminally shameful slave wages paid to academics in the country beyond being a self-indictment of our leaders and a reflection of our low premium for university education is a loud testimony to the fact that Nigeria is not ready for development.
“It is a case of “what you sow, you shall reap.”
“With salaries that cannot take a lecturer home, we will continue to lose our best and brightest to foreign universities who know their value, just as we make Nigerian universities unattractive for scholars across the globe.
“So, our union will not fold its hands and watch politicians who prioritise self over and above the development of Nigeria destroy our public universities.
“If things continue as it is, our union as a patriotic group will rise powerfully in defence of the Nigerian public universities and the over-burdened and inhumanly over-taxed Nigerian people.
“The Nigerian government will do well to take heed before it is too late.”