The prolonged strike by ASUU has lasted over 200 days. What should Nigerians expect if the federal government fails to address your demands?
Well, the strike has been prolonged by the government for the past six months now, and what we’re expecting is that if the federal government’s will satisfactorily address all our issues as it contained in our MoA of 2020 agreements and signing of agreement reached with Professor Nimi Briggs led team, the union will have something to hold on, so that at least the members of the union will sit and deliberate on the way forward.
The federal government says it has met about 80 per cent of ASUU’s demands. Is this so?
The Minister of Education, a man of his pedigree and then with the full responsibility of his office, I don’t think it is normal for somebody occupying such a position to be lying to Nigerians. It is quite unfortunate, 80% of what? All our demands, as it contained in the MOU have never been attended to by the government, rather they resort to lies and use sentiment from the society so as to divert the attention of the society to the main issue. We’re challenging them to let them pick one item by item. We have seven items in our demand, let them pick one after the other and go through it, but not win the blackmail sentiment for them to address by saying 80% of the demand and 80% of what? Is it fund for revitalization of public universities? No progress, no commitment from the government side. Is it the EEA? No commitment also from the government. Is it the release of the visitation panel report that we’re told is going to be released soon? Despite the two committees set up by the same government, ranging from Jibril committee to Nimi Briggs committee which the Minister is trying to jettison nothing concrete has come out of all what he’s saying rather than resort to blackmail.
What essentially are the issues that are delaying Nigerian students from resuming?
Well, the essential issues of what we’re saying is that the main issues, as we’ve said, in our demands, is the immediate signing of the June 2022 draft agreement through collective bargaining with the professor Nimi Briggs committee. Two, adoption and development of University Transparency, and Accountability Solutions (UTAS) that is the salary payments platform for university workers, which the government on its own, after conducting theory tests, agree that it is adjudged to be the best among all the other two platforms. So what the government is waiting for does not even involve money. But why is the government silent having released your report unofficially by telling us that the UTAS performed far better against IPPIS and for government also, through the ministry of communication and digital economy said that ironically, IPPIS is being used to siphon money from the government coffers. Is it not enough for the government to honorably tell Nigerians that UTAS should be immediately deployed to the university? Haven agreed and saw what we are agitating for, what we’re saying is that this software being used for public service, including University and forcefully falls into the university system is a fraud. Three, immediate release of 170 billion to complete one tranche of the need assessment revitalization fund in line with the 2020 MoA, as agreed by this same government to close the 2009 Federal Government/ASUU agreement. Four we’re saying immediate release of the 50 billion also to complete the payment of arrears of EAA in line with 2020 MoA, which was agreed by the same government to put also a closure to 2009 federal government/ASUU agreement and release of government white paper on the 2021 visitation panel.
The minister of state for Education, Goodluck Nanah Opiah has, again slammed ASUU over the lingering strike, insisting on the ‘no work, no pay’ rule for workers. How would you react to this?
It’s quite unfortunate that someone that is just coming up to even spend six or seven months in office is saying something that, not even to join issues with him but however, a personality of his type, should not resort to garage words using all those garage word language on the whole intellectual of the nation. You see thieves does not demand for anything from the victims, they forcefully take it so maybe you need to read more so that you will know the definition of thief because however, this is our genuine demand, no work No pay we have long been telling the government that in our union, we have a policy, a rule as a labor union, that no pay, no work. So if the government is saying and because of our responsibility, we say as our job by law is that we teach, we do research, will do community service and what we’re saying is that we’re not like any other job that they’re being paid hourly.
Students are seriously affected by this action. What is your advice to them and the parents?
You see, the victim of this strike is everybody. Nigeria, the lecturers, the Union, the parents and the students, we are all victims of this right and whenever I have the opportunity I keep on educating students. While I was a student, the environment in which I received lectures was not the same as the environment we have today. A classroom that was used for just 40 students the same classroom is being used for over three hundred students. Lecture becomes learning by rumour, laboratory, nothing, ordinary gas burner it is not found in our laboratory, so many things. So it is my concern that yes, the students are suffering, their time is being wasted by the same government that prolonged all these strikes. If you entered an agreement and agreement is honoured I don’t think there is need for any strike. We have a series of agreements with this government Memoranda of Understanding memoranda of actions, up to three, even including a committee set up by the government itself. If the government has done the needful we will not have been where we are. So my advice is for the student to know that they are fighting for their future. They are fighting for their children yet unborn and the parents should also know that it is not only the certificate that matters but what is made up of that certificate. So let us get a good environment, a good learning environment that will have an impact on our students, and that will raise our ranking and will we have a university that will compete with the global world so that at the end of the day, we’ll have what we say that yes, our education is been developed because education is also the function or the development, the bedrock of other sector of the economy. So the parents, religious leaders, civil society, including the well meaning Nigerians should understand with the plight of the Union, that for today, it is a just cause, we are being patriotic for doing what we’re doing, and prosperity will ask us if we don’t do what we’re doing.
