{"id":59170,"date":"2017-08-19T20:57:33","date_gmt":"2017-08-19T19:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=59170"},"modified":"2017-08-19T20:57:33","modified_gmt":"2017-08-19T19:57:33","slug":"fgn-asuu-face-off-matters-arising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/articles-opinions\/fgn-asuu-face-off-matters-arising\/","title":{"rendered":"FGN-ASUU Face-off: Matters Arising"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Leonard Karshima Shilgba and Etumudon Ndidi Asien<\/strong><\/p>\n

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It is a well-known fact that the Federal and State governments in Nigeria have been having running battles with Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). \u00a0The running battles have led to incessant strikes and closure of public universities in Nigeria.\u00a0 It is also well-known that the problem has almost defied logic and reason, remaining intractable even as there are always \u201cpending agreements\u201d between ASUU and the Federal Government, which ASUU claims are broken by the latter. The problem of recurring ASUU strikes seemed to have escalated during the military era, when it was thought that the military was trying to muzzle all opposing democratic forces in the country. In those days, Nigerian students also, in their face-off with military governments, forced the unfortunate closure of universities (there were no or very few state universities, and no private universities until 1999). The alternating belligerence of ASUU and Student Unions of Nigerian universities frequently precipitated the loss of many academic sessions due to the shut-down of the institutions. Eventually, the role of Student Unions in this unfortunate ritual diminished, but ASUU became the sole instigator of the regular closure of universities. Both the Federal Government and ASUU have maintained adversarial, entrenched positions over the years in their face-off even in post-military times.\u00a0 The parties have almost always refused to budge until very painful damage has been inflicted on students, the entire university system, and the whole nation, partially resulting in the plummeting global ranking of Nigerian universities.<\/p>\n

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ASUU leadership, in the past, when smartly guided by cerebral minds such as Professors Assisi Asobie, Attahiru Jega, and Eskor Toyo (to mention just a few), achieved much good for the university system and the nation, one of such achievements being the present tertiary education funding system, the TETFUND (Tertiary Education Trust Fund). \u00a0To date, this remains an indubitable testimony to the intellectual fecundity of ASUU. The implied membership composition of ASUU should suggest that its actions produce solutions to national problems, encourage accountability and performance among university faculty and leadership, and support student evaluation of faculty members, which would no doubt rid the university system of people whose presence in the public universities has only caused shame and erosion of decency and standards.<\/p>\n

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The conjecture that the perennial ASUU strike is a carry-over from the military era could be plausible, considering the oft belligerent tone of ASUU press releases and communiques. For instance, in our university, Federal University Otuoke (FUO) (which is yet under \u201cobservation\u201d for ASUU membership), in response to a call for a \u201cSpecial meeting of Senate\u201d on Thursday, August 17, 2017, to consider students\u2019 examination results, the branch ASUU leadership sent out a directive, herein cited verbatim: \u201cIn line with our resolution and ASUU directive, NO FUO Lecturer should engage in any meeting or Academic activity.\u201d We must remind both the public and Federal Government that not every lecturer of Nigerian public universities is a member of ASUU. Membership of Trade Unions in Nigeria, by the Trade Union Act, is voluntary and optional. ASUU, therefore, ought not to give directives to \u201clecturers\u201d, but rather to its members, who have voluntarily joined the union, and have, in writing, given permission for deduction of check-off dues from their salaries. At least, that is what the Trade Union Act says. The Federal Government should, accordingly, take steps to protect lecturers of its universities who are not ASUU members. The FG, through the National Universities Commission (NUC), should obtain the list of registered members of ASUU in all federal universities for the purpose of determining lecturers that are on strike. In a democracy, it is required that decisions are not taken on behalf of people who are not given the opportunity of choice.<\/p>\n

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Negotiations between ASUU and FG should not be on issues that are either mutually exclusive or which are not related to lecturers\u2019 conditions of service contained in their letters of employment. If the FG fails to pay lecturers their lawful salaries and allowances, that is wrong, and should be addressed. We are concerned, however, that ASUU now demands, among other things, that the FG fund \u201cStaff Schools.\u201d In ASUU\u2019s strike Bulletin dated August 12, 2017, those \u201ckey outstanding issues\u201d are listed:<\/p>\n

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  1. Payment of fractions\/Non-payment of salaries.<\/li>\n
  2. Non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n