By Niyi Akande
Academic Staff Union of Universities, Akure Zone, comprising of leadership of academic staff members of public universities in Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States, has decried hardship unleashed on the university system in the country by government.
The Union said despite its good intention, government attitude to issues tailored towards the welfare of lecturers and students has been rather poor, noting that its members should not be blamed for continued industrial unrest on campus.
Addressing journalists ahead Zonal Meeting of the union holding in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, ASUU Akure Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Adeola Egbedokun, said poor funding of education was contributing to the rising wave of violent crimes, especially kidnapping in the country.
Egbedokun who was flanked by ASUU chairmen of OAU, Anthony Odiwe, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Pius Mogaji, Ekiti State University, Sola Afolayan, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Abayomi Fagbuagun, and University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Abraham Oladebeye, also accused the federal government of reneging on its promise to discard Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System for paying university lecturers.
He said, “Government is insincere about funding of education. They are insincere because how can successive administrations arrange several meetings where agreements were signed and such agreement would not be implemented? What has taken us to this particular quagmire is because government failed to own up to the agreements signed with ASUU.
“At this point again, we have to talk about the 26% budgetary allocation which of course is the yardstick set by UNESCO. If the government is sincere, definitely government will know that it is the only solution to the present problem that we find ourselves.
“Most of these people that are creating insecurity, the hoodlums, perhaps it was because they didn’t have sufficient education. If education had been properly funded, definitely there wouldn’t have been any need for agitation from members of staff because they would have been paid.
“Presently as we talk some people are hiding in the bush looking for who to kidnap because the government has surreptitiously removed them having education. Education happens to be the only saving grace for people to live a good life.
“If this continues, we are talking about economic hardship, it won’t be a case of what ASUU is going to get, but it is going to be the case of what is going to be the next accident for the nation.”
On the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 Agreement, Egbedokun said “The FGN/ASUU renegotiation of the 2009 agreement is intended to reverse the multifaceted crisis afflicting the universities in particular and the education sector in general.
“Earlier attempts to renegotiate the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement proved abortive because Dr. Wale Babalakin consistently insisted that a tuition regime must be introduced into the public universities in Nigeria.
“Education is a constitutional right, and the government must provide quality education to its citizens. Education is also a public good, and it is the constitutional responsibility of the Nigerian state to provide qualitative and sound education to its citizenry. The government appointed team led by Professor Munzali Jubril was able to break the jinx of renegotiation but due to the expiration of his tenure as a Pro Chancellor, Emeritus Professor Nimi Briggs completed the renegotiation and produced a draft Agreement.
“Government has refused to sign this document. It is unfortunate to note that whatever gains were included in the so-called draft must have lost its value by now, hence there is the need for a re-negotiation of the renegotiated. We call on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to review and sign the draft agreement produced by Emeritus Professor Nimi Briggs for immediate implementation.”
Speaking further, Egbedokun said use of IPPIS to pay part of the withheld salary of ASUU members was against the agreement reached with the union, adding that many of its members are still being owed several months or promotion arrears, ranging from 6 to 36 months.
Demanding immediate release of promotion arrears of ASUU members, ASUU Coordinator, also reaffirmed earlier decision of the union rejecting enforcement of Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standard, saying development of curriculum remains an exclusive duty of the Senate of each university.
