The Academic Staff Union of Universities’ (ASUU) struggles are as old as its birth. It is on record that the union had downed tools for many times since 1978. However, the government’s refusal to honour agreements reached with the union has been the basic reason ASUU goes on strike; yet, nothing seems to have changed.
The two parties (ASUU and FG) are always in conflict over funding of the public-owned universities, better working conditions, earned academic allowance, salary shortfall, replacement of IPPIS with UTAS, among other demands.
In the wake of the last strike by ASUU, which lasted for nine months and was suspended in December 2020 after signing a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) with the FG promising to address the issues soon.
However, there are still some issues, which may lead ASUU to down tools again.
In November 2019, the federal government had offered to commit about N50 billion for the revitalisation of the universities and payment of allowances. This was later reviewed to N65 billion. The national President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodake, said seven months after the signing of the 2020 MoU, lamenting only issues of salary shortfall and visitation panels to federal universities were addressed.
It is disheartening for someone to know that the 2009 MOU, 2013 MOU and 2017 MOA were partially honoured by FG.
Another area of contention is the enrolment of university staff in the government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System(IPPIS), which was introduced in 2014. This was rejected by ASUU saying that it breached the autonomy of universities.
The union suggested another platform, University Transparency and Accountability Solution(UTAS), which the government is yet to adopt.
The union has now given a February deadline for the implementation of the agreement.
There is a need for the federal government to keep agreements, and meet up with ASUU obligations. Government should not wait to be reminded through a strike, which disrupts academic activities.
Again, it is time for the government to concentrate on investing in the existing universities instead of opening new ones.
ASUU, on its part, should have a peer review mechanism to assess lecturers and possibly find out what they are doing at the end of every semester. More so, they should also be made to realise the limitations of government in terms of the current realities the nation is facing.
Instead of always going on strike; they should use print and electronic media to inform the public that government flouts their agreements before taking the next action.
Abdulazeez Alhassan wrote from Rigasa Kaduna
