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Strike: Nigerians to intervene in ASUU-FG faceoff

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called for the urgent intervention of well-meaning Nigerians in the long face-off between it and the Federal Government as it relates to the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, and Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS.

ASUU noted that there is a need to salvage the country’s educational sector from collapse in order to save the future of the country.

Comrade Raphael Amokaha, the Zonal Coordinator, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Nsukka Zone (ASUU-NSUKKA ZONE), made this known on Thursday during a press conference held at Federal University Lokoja, saying that the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement was the main reason for the strike all this while.

He opined that ASUU has apparently exercised unparallel patience and explored all avenues for a strike free solution to the government-induced crisis in the public universities without finding a headway.

According to him, this was against the backdrop of the legendary reputation of successive Nigerian governments for not honouring agreements with ASUU.

He noted, “How else can it be explained that we have a set of leaders that pay lip service to their commitment to national development? ASUU has consistently demonstrated that it is a patriotic union.”

The zonal coordinator stated that having gone out of its way to spend from the miserable salaries of its members to develop a more robust homegrown payment platform in UTAS at no cost to the government, it was hoped it would restore faith and confidence in the educational system and also, to prove again that the challenge in the university system has nothing to do with the capacity of the lecturers but everything to do with the people charged with the responsibility of running the affairs of the country.

He noted that it would seem, with benefit of hindsight, that the insistence of the government on deploying IPPIS which was used to continuously starve and subject their members to untold hardship, stressing that decapitating their salaries arbitrarily and outright nonpayment for months despite the manifest inadequacies of the platform was a ploy to distract them from their original goal.

He asked why else the government would delay the deployment of UTAS, a more efficient, Nigerian designed alternative, which has passed all the tests put forward by government agencies.

April 8, 2022
ASUU Extends Strike By Eight Weeks

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has extended its warning strike by eight weeks, the union said on Monday.

ASUU reached the decision after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Abuja secretariat of the union following the expiration of its one-month warning strike. It hinged its decision on the unseriousness of the Federal Government.

“NEC, having taken reports on the engagements of the Trustees and Principal Officers with the Government, concluded that Government had failed to satisfactorily address all the issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA) within the four-week roll—over strike period and resolved that the strike be rolled over for another eight (8) weeks to give Government more time to address all the issues in concrete terms so that our students will resume as soon as possible,” a statement by ASUU’s president, Emmanuel Osodeke, read.

“The roll-over strike shall commence by 12.01 am on Monday, 14 March 2022.”

ASUU blamed its decision on the insincerity of the government since it started the warning strike a month ago. According to the lecturers, a series of meetings with government officials yielded nothing.

“NEC viewed Government’s response, so far, as a continuation of the unconscionable, mindless, and nonchalant attitude of the Nigerian ruling elite towards the proven path of national development which is education,” ASUU said.

The recent strike is due to grievances over the Federal Government’s failure to fulfill a 2020 agreement reached with the varsity teachers.

In the wake of the industrial action, there were accusations and counter-accusations from both parties, one of the contentious issues being the government’s rejection of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), developed to replace the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

UTAS, the Federal Government claimed, did not pass a series of tests it conducted to check its reliability. But ASUU dismissed the claims, saying the government was not fair in its evaluation.

Irked by the development, students protested across the nation and called for a reopening of campuses.

A meeting between officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, ended with the minister walking out on them.

While the ASUU strike lingers, members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), are also threatening to down tools over agreements reached with the union.

March 14, 2022
Percentage Salaries: LG Health Workers Threaten Strike in Kogi

From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

The State Secretary, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, (MHWUN) Comrade Rose Momoh on Saturday said that the Primary Health Care Workers across the 21 local government areas of Kogi State may down tools if their demands for improved salary is not met by the State Government.

The State Secretary, who disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists on Saturday noted that the primary health workers in the Local Government have been collecting 30 to 35 percent salaries for the past two years.

Momoh added that the health workers had the worst recently when they were paid 25 percent of their January salary in 2022.

”The salary the Kogi State Government is paying to our health workers at the Local Government level cannot take care of their transport from home to workplace, talk more of bringing food on the table for the family to survive.” the statement added.

“We can no longer bear this continuous hardship we are facing. Health workers risk their lives every day to safe others, yet, their salary is nothing to write home about. Who have we offended? Is this what is obtainable in other states?”

The statement stressed “Our demands is that, the government should complete the process of Primary Health Care under one roof and move the PHC workers and their salaries to State Primary Health Care Development Agency ( SPHCDA) immediately.”

“We are also demanding that primary health care workers be paid 100 percent like their State counterparts” the statement added.

The union body therefore appealed to the State Government and health partners in the state to come to their aid as they continue to lose their members on daily basis due to hardship the percentage salaries has posed on them.

March 13, 2022
Nothing Tangible Has Happened Despite Warning Strike – ASUU

The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, has stated that nothing progressive has emerged to see an end to the warning strike embarked upon by the body.

The ASUU’s strike which is in its fourth week has been hinged on the union’s demands on the revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances, renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, and inconsistencies in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system.

Prof. Osodeke, who was a guest on Channels Television’s show, Sunrise Daily, expressed his disappointment at the state of affairs and the government’s inability to fulfill the promises it made two years ago.

“I can assure you nothing tangible has happened, nothing visible; nothing you can say has been done,” the ASUU president said during the breakfast show.
“We have met with the Minister of Labour twice and all they are saying is the same old promises that they have been talking about.”

The ASUU president bemoaned what he called the government’s “lack of interest and will” in the public university system as their demands can be settled in a meeting between both parties.

“We met with the President on 1st of February and raised this issue with the President and the President promised to address it and he appointed a three or four-man committee to look at it; the Chief of Staff, Minister of Labour and Minister of Education and the Minister of Finance, it was all over the country and till today that committee has not called us for a meeting,” he explained.

A Lie To The Country?
According to Prof. Osodeke, the ongoing discord over the choice of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, proposed by the government and the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) platform developed by the university lecturers was due to the lack of transparency.

“When you have dishonesty in the system, you have those problems; we listened to the report by National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), that it didn’t pass the test but I came with documentation to show their report”

“If a program is subjected to a test and it scores 77% would you say it failed? If a program is passed through an end-user test and it scores 88%, would you say it failed?

“Let NITDA and the Federal Government tell the Nigerian people whether they have tested IPPIS,” he said

He accused NITDA of giving misleading reports to Federal Executive Council on the UTAS platform as they were never present at any of the agreed meetings.

“The DG of NITDA will never attend any meeting, the Minister of Communication will never attend any meeting but these people who were not there and not properly briefed will they have gone to brief FEC that it did not pass which is not correct.”

“If you subject this to a test today, we will have 99%, but they went ahead to tell the country a lie and this is why they are creating problems in this country,” the ASUU president added.

He was also critical of the government’s nudge towards a platform that hasn’t been tested in the country as one that had been developed locally.

“So, you brought a foreign process to a country developed by a company outside the country and they brought it to your country to pay your salary and you didn’t test it.”

“But the one developed by your academics, intellectuals scored almost 80-90% and you say there was no integrity,” Osodeke noted.

March 11, 2022
I’m surprise ASUU is on strike – Education Minister

Clears government of any fault in failure to reach agreement with ASUU

Says decision of university lecturers came abruptly amidst negotiations

Insist FG ready to meet them on all issues raised

By Joyce Babayeju

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, has said that he is surprised by the decision of the Academic Staff Union of Universities to embark on a one-month strike.

He said this on Wednesday while fielding questions from State House reporters after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The minister, who cleared the government of any fault over failure to reach a truce after several negotiations between ASUU and the Federal Government, said the decision of the university lecturers came abruptly amidst ongoing meetings.

According to him, “ASUU, unfortunately, they have gone on strike and I am looking for them because all the issues are being addressed. The last thing that happened was that our committee looked at their demands but there are renegotiations going on. They submitted a draft agreement which the ministry is looking at.”

Adamu, while speaking on ASUU’s draft agreement, said, “A committee is looking at it. Immediately it finishes, the government is meant to announce what it had accepted. Then suddenly, I heard them going on strike.”

The minister, while commenting on allegations from ASUU about his absence from meetings, said “ASUU will never say that. I always call the meeting myself. The meetings I didn’t attend were those that happened when I was in hospital in Germany.

“We want a peaceful resolution. The federal government is ready to meet them on all issues they have raised and if there are so many meetings and the gap is not closing, then I think it’s not the fault of the government.

“There is a solution to this. The negotiations are the solution and that is why I have said that I am surprised that ASUU has gone on strike.”

Asked if the government can reach an agreement with ASUU before the end of the 30-day strike, he said, “I can’t give you time. I am ready to reach an agreement with ASUU now but since I’m not the only one, I can’t give you time but certainly, we are going to reach an agreement very soon.”

Adamu, while speaking on the clear-cut disparity in cut-off marks for common entrance examinations across various parts of the country, said the low cut-off marks in the North were meant to comply with the requirements of the Federal Character Commission.

“I have nothing to say on that. I am not aware of any difference unless it is meant to satisfy the requirements of Federal character. I think the federal character is required for the nation and it is accepted. There is nothing we can do about that. There would come a time when it would not be necessary.”

February 16, 2022
NANS threatens nationwide protest as ASUU declares fresh strike

The National Association of Nigerian Students on Monday condemned the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

NANS President, Asefon Sunday, in a statement, expressed “great disappointment” at the “comprehensive and total” four-week strike declared by ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, on Monday.

Asefon slammed the Federal Government and the ASUU leadership for failure to resolve their issues amicably without resort to strike.

He also said Nigerian students will stage a nationwide protest to demonstrate their dissatisfaction.

Recall Daybreak had earlier reported that Osodeke at a press conference on Monday said ASUU National Executive Council resolved to embark on the strike as the government has failed to implement the Memorandum of Action it signed with the ASUU in December 2020.

But in the statement titled, ‘ASUU Warning Strike: A Reckless Irresponsibility’, signed by the NANS President, Asefon said, “We have received the news of the decision of ASUU to embark on a month warning strike with great disappointment. We have thought ASUU and FG represented by top executives would allow reason to prevail, reached compromise, act responsibly in the interest of the education sector and indeed Nigeria, to do all that is required to responsibly avert this avoidable strike.

“We are appalled by the impunity, recklessness, and irresponsibility the managers of this negotiation from both sides of the table has managed the fragile situation allowing it to degenerate to the level of industrial action. We are therefore compelled to believe that negotiators from both sides acted so irresponsibly because of their apathy of the interest and welfare of the major stakeholder of the sector(students) during the negotiations.

“We are equally disappointed at the government for not doing everything possible to avert this embarrassment. We are also disappointed with the ASUU for reaching this conclusion irrespective of the implications to the students, academic calendar, research they claim to love, national security, and sanity. The Government and ASUU by this action sent a direct message to Nigerian students to also take positions comfortable for our side of the table irrespective of the implications. Let me say equivocally that we will respond in clear language, the language the oppressors understand.

“I passionately appeal to all students leaders, NANS structures, and organs across the nation to mobilize to our national non-elective congress on the 17th of February where far-reaching decisions shall be made on our collective response to this blatant lack of patriotism, human feelings, and feelings for the collective future of education in Nigeria.

“Our decisions shall be decisive, collective, and irreversible until the strike is called off. We shall fight this impunity and recklessness without any consideration other than an immediate end to this strike.

“We, therefore, inform the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, to expect us in our numbers, and ASUU should be ready to return to the table to end this avoidable, reckless and repugnant strike. Let me assure the Minister of Labour that our protest in his office today is introductory and child play in what is yet to come. We are resolute more than before to ensure we hold government, especially the ministry of labour responsible for these incessant strike actions.

“Further negotiations should as a matter of urgency have students representative as part of the parties to allow balance in decisions that are capable of impairing the lives of students and derailing their progress. The contentions and issues are triangular and must be treated so, going forward.”

ASUU had embarked on a nine-month-long strike in 2020 and called it off after a lot of foot-dragging by both the government and the lecturers.

February 14, 2022
ASUU To Embark On A Month Warning Strike

After serious deliberations that dragged into the early hours of Monday, the National Executive Council, NEC, of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has voted to embark on one-month warning strike to press home its demands from the government.

A source at the meeting held in Lagos told Vanguard in confidence that the strike is to allow the Federal Government do the needful failure to which the union would go on an indefinite strike.

“We just want to give the government a long rope hoping that it would see the need to avoid a total paralysis of academic activities in the nation’s universities. We are parents too and have our children in the system but we cannot watch and allow the total collapse of education in the country.

“Our agitation is in the interest of all and if the system is made better, we will all enjoy it. Prominent personalities in the country have waded into the matter but the government seems recalcitrant. Our National President would explain more when he briefs the press later today,” he said.

Recall that the union has been agitating for a number of demands including the payment of Earned Academic Allowance, revitalization fund, the replacement of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS, with the University Transparency and Accountability System UTAS, among others.

Details later

February 14, 2022
Tension as ASUU NEC holds final meeting on Strike

Tension has enveloped students, parents and university staff as the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU’s National Executive Council meeting is ongoing.

The meeting taking place at the University of Lagos, Akoka Campus, was convened by the union to decide possible action to take following the alleged refusal of the federal government to accede to its demands.

The union had last week hinted that its decision, whether to proceed on strike to protest the government’s action or continue to render services would be determined at its ongoing NEC meeting, expected to end tomorrow in Lagos.

The decision which will be via voting would determine the fate of students of public universities across the country, who had just returned to campuses after the yuletide break.

The union latest action is aimed at forcing the government to sign the re-negotiated FGN-ASUU 2009 agreement, payment of the balance of Earned Academic Allowances, deployment of University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, payment of lecturers on sabbatical as well as the proliferation of universities by state governments.

Recall that disturbed by the lecturers’ threat, President Muhammadu Buhari had, last week, during a meeting with a delegation of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, NIREC, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, begged the union not to yield to its strike threat.

The president, at the meeting, had assured the religious leaders that his administration was committed to respecting promises it entered with the union.

His plea was immediately dismissed by the ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who said the union would not succumb to the president’s antics, saying because “We have heard him so many times and nothing happened”, there would be no going back on industrial action ‘except when we start seeing something concrete being done.”

According to him, the president’s claim states that the government was facing financial pressure did not hold water as according to him, the government claims not to have money for its demands had, on the other hand, bailed banks out of problems.

“Are we not seeing things that are covering billions of naira? Bailing out banks, and others and having multiple travels by governors, principal officers of government – all-consuming dollars?

“If education is really the priority of this government, would we be saying there is no fund? How many countries in the world allocate five or six per cent of their budget to education?

“Nigeria is the country that allocates the lowest budget to education. That is the problem because they don’t believe in it because their children are not in this country,” he had said.

As the nation awaits the outcome of the ongoing ASUU meeting held in Lagos, there are fears that it would declare a possible strike as its last resort to ensuring that the government accede to the demands.

Speaking to Vanguard, Mr Isaac Odey, whose son is a 300 level student at the University of Nigeria, Nsuka, begged the federal government to do everything possible to avert the looming strike, saying allowing students to be sent back home as a result of the lectures action would be devastating for parents whose children just returned to school.

Odey, who lamented the effect of COVID-19 coupled with the recent strike by ASUU, said the developments, caused serious setbacks for both parents and their wards.

“My y son would have graduated and even finished from the National Youths Service Corps by now but he’s still in 300 level, all because of the Covid-19 lockdown and the previous ASUU’s strike.

“We appeal to ASUU, on the other hand, to deploy other means of resolving their issues with the government instead of seeing strike as the last resort,” he advised.

February 13, 2022
ASUU Sensitises Students on Planned Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Calabar chapter, has sensitised students of the institution over the planned strike by the union if the federal government fails to meet their demands.

Dr John Edor, Chairman of the union in UNICAL, who organised a forum on Thursday in Calabar, sensitised the students on the demands of ASUU and why they intend to embark on strike.

He said that the students were critical in the decision of the union.

According to Edor, ASUU was demanding for the deployment of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) in the payment of salaries of lecturers.

He highlighted other demands to include; release of funds for revitalisation of universities, payment of salary arrears, payment of Earned Academic Allowance, and the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement.

Edor noted that the state of infrastructure in public universities had deteriorated to a level where students no longer have accommodation in the hostels due to lack of facilities, adding that lecture halls were no longer enough to meet the students’ population.

After the sensitisation engagement between ASUU and the students, the chairman led the students in a solidarity walk with other members of the union to press for their demands from the federal government.

“The federal government entered into a Memorandum of Action in Dec. 2020 with ASUU to end the prolonged strike action by the union.

“One year down the line, the federal government has willfully refused to honour the Memorandum of Action.

“What we are struggling for is the good of the students and the growth of the education sector in the country.

“We have to sensitise the general public and in particular the students of the University of Calabar.

“I am happy that the Nigerian students in UNICAL are joining forces with ASUU to press home their demands for the growth of the education sector,” he said.

He called on the federal government to rise up to its responsibility especially as it concerns the education sector in Nigeria.

Edor urged the federal government to prioritise education in Nigeria by investing massively in the sector.

Speaking on behalf of the students, Mr Tryon Bassey, who is the Students Union President, said that the demands by ASUU were genuine and timely, following the dearth of infrastructure in public universities.

“We the students of the University of Calabar have joined forces with ASUU to ensure that their demands are met.

“The federal government should release funds for the revitalisation of universities in Nigeria,” he said.

February 10, 2022
BREAKING: Aviation Workers Shelve Planned Strike, Sign Agreement With FG

Aviation workers have suspended their planned industrial action following an agreement reached with the Federal Government.

The strike was planned to commence today but the workers made a u-turn on their plan after a Memorandum of Settlement reached by the workers and the Federal Ministry of Aviation in the early hours of Tuesday.

Both parties signed the agreement at the end of the meeting which was held at the instance of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The meeting which was presided over by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, discussed the non-implementation of the Minimum Wage consequential adjustment in the aviation parastatals since 2019 and the non-approval/release of the reviewed conditions of service in the parastatals.

At the meeting between the union leaders, the Minister of Aviation and the Minister of Labour, it was agreed that by March 31, the Ministry of Aviation must ensure the approval, release and implementation of the reviewed CoS for all the workers in the agencies under the aviation ministry.

February 8, 2022