Nigeria: Lingering
university teachers'
strike highlighted
Lingering university teachers' strike Nigeria -
The Nigerian media were awash this week with
stories on the lingering university lecturers'
strike which began 1 July, 2013.
With the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics
(ASUP) having downed tools for over three
months now, and the commencement of a
nationwide strike action by the Academic Staff
Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU),
Nigeria’s public higher education sector can be
said to be in a state of emergency.
Nigerian University lecturers, under ASUU,
embarked on the nationwide indefinite strike,
blaming the action on the inability of the
Federal Government to implement some of the
issues contained in a 2009 agreement it had
with ASUU.
The ASUU National President, Isa Fagge, said
that the strike will be comprehensive, total and
indefinite.
The NIGERIAN TRIBUNE had three stories on
the strike with the headlines ' FG/ASUU
meeting inconclusive again'; 'ASUU strike: CNPP
asks Jonathan to implement 2009 agreement';
and 'ASUU insists on 2009 agreement'.
According to the paper, a meeting between the
Federal Government and striking university
lecturers on Friday was again inconclusive.
The Governor of the north central Benue State,
Gabriel Suswam, who was drafted to intervene
in the face-off, told newsmen that there were
still outstanding issues to be resolved next
week for ASUU to call off the strike.
The two knotty issues, according to him, are
earned allowance and funding of university
education in view of the infrastructure deficit
in the system.
He added that all other issues raised by ASUU
had been agreed on apart from the two issues
pending.
Suswam, however, disclosed that while the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation,
Anyim Pius Anyim, would meet with ASUU
leadership on Monday to resolve the issue of
the earned allowance, he and members of
implementation committee on Needs
Assessment Committee would also meet with
ASUU next Thursday to finalise issues on
funding.
In its second story, the NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
reported that The Conference of Nigerian
Political Parties (CNPP) on Wednesday voiced
its anger over the statement from the
Presidency to the effect that it would re-
negotiate the 2009 agreement captured in the
2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
instead of implementing the agreement it
entered with ASUU.
To that effect, it called on President Goodluck
Jonathan to implement forthwith the more
important and crucial items in the MoU and
the 2009 agreement.
In a statement, the CNPP Spokesman, Osita
Okechukwu, noted that it was unfortunate that
the Minister of Labour, Emeka Wogu, said that
the 2009 agreement predates the present
administration and some items needed to be
re-negotiated if it is to be satisfactorily
implemented.
He said, “CNPP is of the candid view that
government is a continuum.”
According to him, the important items in the
MoU include the stimulation of the university
system with 100 billion naira (about US$ 700
million) annually.
Mr. Okechukwu urged the Federal Government
to tackle corruption and recover looted funds
to fund the country’s social services and
critical infrastructure.
The paper also reported that ASUU, on
Thursday, said there was no going back on its
demand for full implementation of the 2009
agreement signed with the Federal
Government.
The union said no renegotiation can take place
if the agreement signed was not been
implemented.
The National Treasurer of ASUU, Dr. Ademola
Aremu, and the University of Ibadan chairman
of the union, Dr Olusegun Ajiboye, said this at
a symposium organised by the union at the
Paul Hendrickse Hall of the College of
Medicine, University of Ibadan, venue of the
symposium entitled: “Education, Research and
Development in Nigeria”.
The union rubbished the claim by the Federal
Government that the demands of ASUU could
not be met because there were insufficient
funds.
Unlike many other African countries that vote
significantly for education funding on annual
basis, the union said Nigeria votes the least
budget to education, while siphoning huge
sums to irrelevant projects that do not
encourage research and development.
In her contribution, Professor Millicent
Obajimi, former chairman, Nigerian Medical
Association, lamented that 10.5 million
children in Nigeria are out of school.
'NLC threatens to join ASUU strike' was the
headline of the VANGUARD which reported that
the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday
threatened to join ASUU in solidarity strike if
the Federal Government failed to address the
ASUU demands.
NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, made the
threat at the opening ceremony of the “2013
Rain School’’ in Uyo, capital of the south south
Akwa Ibom State.
“We call on the federal government to have
meaningful dialogue with ASUU with a view to
implementing the agreement. The State
Governments should equally obey the law and
pay minimum wage to teachers and the local
government workers as well as the 27.5 per
cent teacher’s enhanced salaries,' Omar
demanded.
“Should these strikes persist, Nigerian workers
will not hesitate to join them in solidarity,” he
warned.
The PUNCH also ran the same story under a
similar headline 'NLC threatens to join ASUU
strike', while the online DAILY POST headline
was 'Meet ASUU demands or we join strike –
NLC threatens'.
university teachers'
strike highlighted
Lingering university teachers' strike Nigeria -
The Nigerian media were awash this week with
stories on the lingering university lecturers'
strike which began 1 July, 2013.
With the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics
(ASUP) having downed tools for over three
months now, and the commencement of a
nationwide strike action by the Academic Staff
Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU),
Nigeria’s public higher education sector can be
said to be in a state of emergency.
Nigerian University lecturers, under ASUU,
embarked on the nationwide indefinite strike,
blaming the action on the inability of the
Federal Government to implement some of the
issues contained in a 2009 agreement it had
with ASUU.
The ASUU National President, Isa Fagge, said
that the strike will be comprehensive, total and
indefinite.
The NIGERIAN TRIBUNE had three stories on
the strike with the headlines ' FG/ASUU
meeting inconclusive again'; 'ASUU strike: CNPP
asks Jonathan to implement 2009 agreement';
and 'ASUU insists on 2009 agreement'.
According to the paper, a meeting between the
Federal Government and striking university
lecturers on Friday was again inconclusive.
The Governor of the north central Benue State,
Gabriel Suswam, who was drafted to intervene
in the face-off, told newsmen that there were
still outstanding issues to be resolved next
week for ASUU to call off the strike.
The two knotty issues, according to him, are
earned allowance and funding of university
education in view of the infrastructure deficit
in the system.
He added that all other issues raised by ASUU
had been agreed on apart from the two issues
pending.
Suswam, however, disclosed that while the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation,
Anyim Pius Anyim, would meet with ASUU
leadership on Monday to resolve the issue of
the earned allowance, he and members of
implementation committee on Needs
Assessment Committee would also meet with
ASUU next Thursday to finalise issues on
funding.
In its second story, the NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
reported that The Conference of Nigerian
Political Parties (CNPP) on Wednesday voiced
its anger over the statement from the
Presidency to the effect that it would re-
negotiate the 2009 agreement captured in the
2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
instead of implementing the agreement it
entered with ASUU.
To that effect, it called on President Goodluck
Jonathan to implement forthwith the more
important and crucial items in the MoU and
the 2009 agreement.
In a statement, the CNPP Spokesman, Osita
Okechukwu, noted that it was unfortunate that
the Minister of Labour, Emeka Wogu, said that
the 2009 agreement predates the present
administration and some items needed to be
re-negotiated if it is to be satisfactorily
implemented.
He said, “CNPP is of the candid view that
government is a continuum.”
According to him, the important items in the
MoU include the stimulation of the university
system with 100 billion naira (about US$ 700
million) annually.
Mr. Okechukwu urged the Federal Government
to tackle corruption and recover looted funds
to fund the country’s social services and
critical infrastructure.
The paper also reported that ASUU, on
Thursday, said there was no going back on its
demand for full implementation of the 2009
agreement signed with the Federal
Government.
The union said no renegotiation can take place
if the agreement signed was not been
implemented.
The National Treasurer of ASUU, Dr. Ademola
Aremu, and the University of Ibadan chairman
of the union, Dr Olusegun Ajiboye, said this at
a symposium organised by the union at the
Paul Hendrickse Hall of the College of
Medicine, University of Ibadan, venue of the
symposium entitled: “Education, Research and
Development in Nigeria”.
The union rubbished the claim by the Federal
Government that the demands of ASUU could
not be met because there were insufficient
funds.
Unlike many other African countries that vote
significantly for education funding on annual
basis, the union said Nigeria votes the least
budget to education, while siphoning huge
sums to irrelevant projects that do not
encourage research and development.
In her contribution, Professor Millicent
Obajimi, former chairman, Nigerian Medical
Association, lamented that 10.5 million
children in Nigeria are out of school.
'NLC threatens to join ASUU strike' was the
headline of the VANGUARD which reported that
the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday
threatened to join ASUU in solidarity strike if
the Federal Government failed to address the
ASUU demands.
NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, made the
threat at the opening ceremony of the “2013
Rain School’’ in Uyo, capital of the south south
Akwa Ibom State.
“We call on the federal government to have
meaningful dialogue with ASUU with a view to
implementing the agreement. The State
Governments should equally obey the law and
pay minimum wage to teachers and the local
government workers as well as the 27.5 per
cent teacher’s enhanced salaries,' Omar
demanded.
“Should these strikes persist, Nigerian workers
will not hesitate to join them in solidarity,” he
warned.
The PUNCH also ran the same story under a
similar headline 'NLC threatens to join ASUU
strike', while the online DAILY POST headline
was 'Meet ASUU demands or we join strike –
NLC threatens'.
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