It seems that the institutions under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will undergo another industrial action once more. Nobody knows how long this very own will take but another strike seems looming.
The strike has become a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian University education.
Last year December, Members of the ASUU agreed to end a 9-month old strike after a resolution between the union and the federal government was reached.
Last two weeks, the President of ASUU, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, disclosed that there was every possibility to embark on another strike as the federal government had not met their demands agreed on in December 2020. Osodeke, in an interview with The PUNCH, accused the federal government of playing on lecturers. He reiterated the union's motive on opposing the use of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). He had alleged that the use of IPPIS made it possible for some lecturers to receive more than what they supposed to receive as salary, a violation on the trust the union has for the system.
On that note, the union came up with the idea of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) to halt all kinds of corruption linked with the payment of lecturers’ salaries.
However, the federal government, last two weeks Tuesday, faulted the platform, saying that it doesn't create room for the lecturers to pay their taxes.
The Spokesman for the Ministry of Education, Ben Gong, had stated that the federal government would not be able to adopt the UTAS platform as it lacks tax deduction from the salaries of lecturers.
Since 1988, the union had been having conflicts with various governments that come to power. The union which came into existence in 1978, embarked on its first national strike 10 years after it was founded, to demand universities autonomy and fair salaries for lecturers. However, the then military regime banned the association after it seized her property and was allowed to carry out its operations again in 1990. The reason behind the problem why the union is embarking on strike has been the same year by year. Every year, the issue is taking new dimensions. The same question that keeps lingering on is who is to be blamed. The industrial conflict has left many students to believe that the federal government no longer takes the education sector seriously. The strike on the part of the ASUU proves that humans are insatiable. It has always been an issue of poor working conditions, demand in increase of salaries among others. No one is saying that ASUU should not exercise their civil rights to industrial action but cautious thinking should be taken on the adverse effects it is having on the lives of the students in school. Some students usually find it difficult to continue when the school embarks on an indefinite strike. Most especially the female students who mistakenly get pregnant during this time, don't feel too good to continue, thereby becoming a dropout students. ASUU needs to understand that their action will cause many youths to go into Internet fraud. Many students during the strike, usually see it as an opportunity for them to learn and get into the stuff quickly.
According to ASUU last Tuesday, it insisted that none of the agreements it reached with the Federal Government had been implemented.
In an interview with The Punch, Osodeke said that the UTAS had been subjected to series of tests and confirmed as efficient. “UTAS has passed through many stages. All the ministries where we presented UTAS, applauded it. UTAS deducts tax. The National Assembly applauded it. It was also presented at the office of the AGF. UTAS encompasses everything you can talk about in a university, not just about salaries alone, even human resources. He doesn’t know what he is talking about. If you want to know the real details of what is happening contact the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, ministers of Education and Labour. They all have a copy of the MoU we signed in December,” he had said, “They know that UTAS, which is the major one has not been implemented. The revitalisation fund has not been released. They agreed that they would mainstream our earned academic allowances into the salary system in 2021. We are in August already and preparing 2022 budget, yet nothing has been done. They said by December they would pay the backlog they are owing our members and till now they have not paid a number of them.
“They agreed that they would review the NUC law to ensure that no government would wake up one day and be proliferating universities, they haven’t gone to the National Assembly.”
Another thing the industrial action is causing is that it will elongate the academic year of students and as a result, many students will end up being rushed to quickly finish their academic activities. For example in an institution like the University of Ilorin, a student who is studying a four-year course might end up using some extra years, not because he repeated classes but because of the strike. The situation has now gotten so bad that students can't tell when he/she will be graduating. Consequently, universities will record a low turnout of admission seekers because fresh students will see that as an excuse not to apply to such a school.
There are some courses that are pure practicals. Imagine a situation where students were not properly taught and were asked to sit for an exam he/she does not know of. That's too ridiculous! There is no how universities will record excellent at the end of their academic year if the strike persists. ASUU must understand that not all students assimilate fast as some may need to be taught over and over again. The examination is like a computer. The output is determined by the input.
Fears are always what the students face each time payment for their hostels or house rent is due. Overstaying in the school causes another expense for the students. The average students who couldn't afford to pay for their house rent, become homeless and squat with mates.
Students can't continue to live in this mess year by year. The government must ensure they agree with the members of the Union with what they are demanding in order to save the hope of education in the country. The government must be advised that their failure to work towards the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), will only escalate further problems.
The recent tussle had forced ASUU to reveal that only two out of the eight issues had been addressed.
The Chairman of ASUU in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Dr Ibrahim Inuwa, said “Only payment of salary shortfall and constitution of visitation panels to federal universities have been addressed.
“Renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, which would have been completed within eight weeks from the date of inauguration of the committee, has up till now not been concluded even though the committee was inaugurated in December 2020.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria willingly agreed that the UTAS will replace the IPPIS as a payment platform in federal universities after it passed an integrity test. However, soon after the agreement, agents of the Federal Government were doing everything possible to frustrate the coming of UTAS onboard.
“Meanwhile, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, through the IPPIS office, has continued to omit our members from payment of salaries, while others experience serious salary amputation. We are convinced that this is done in connivance with the university administration through the distortion of our members’ personal details.”
Meanwhile, some students from various universities have reacted to the situation. According to Odumosu Damilare, a 400l level student of Political Science in the University of Lagos (UNILAG), “It is no longer news how ASUU strike has devastated and paralysed the University educational system in Nigeria although, they ostensibly claim to be agitating for the interest and development of the Nigerian Universities and by extension the Nigerian students but in actual fact they all are fighting for their share of the national cake so to speak.”
He expressed sadness over the looming strike, saying “it is alarming and frustrating that teenagers and youths find themselves in a country where mild regard is given to education. Unapologetically speaking, I would candidly advise an average Nigerian student who is going for a 4-year course to rightly prepare for a 6-year course in the actual sense considering the uncertainty that could greet the smooth flow of his study in the coming years.”
He, however, called for reconciliation between ASUU and the federal government.
He said, “I should have graduated last year but for the ASUU strike, Yes I can't underplay the effect of COVID-19 but ASUU strike is a more deadlier disease on the University education.
I'm not in support of another ASUU strike, we Nigerian student that ought to have graduated cannot afford to stay one more year to be a graduate. I say a Big No to ASUU strike.”
For Akanbi Kazeem, who is also a student of UNILAG, 200l in the department of Political Science, it will be a lack of pity from the part of the federal government and ASUU if they still embark on another strike, despite what COVID-19 has done to destabilize the learning activities. In his reaction to this, he said he won't be happy if another strike comes up. “Speaking on behalf of other students, I will say we won't be happy if ASUU embarks on another strike. Reason being that we have been in a particular position for two years now. We've been at this level since last year January and this is August, we are still at the same level in school. This is going be two years. A year is meant for a session. I should be looking forward to year three now if not for the COVID-19 outbreak. But now, we are still in the same year one we were in since last year. And now one ASUU strike is said to be looming somewhere. So, I won't be happy if such occur because it will be a slap on the educational system in Nigeria.”
He added that, “This time that we are in now, people no longer value education and see school as a scam so that is one thing we should get clear. School is a scam; Education is not a scam. The knowledge we are getting is not a scam but the institution giving that knowledge is a scam. ASUU should consider that some people are already in depression over the last strike they embarked on. Despite that the COVID-19 pandemic is still out there, we are still holding classes online and still struggling to learn.”
He, however, warned that another strike might “make more students lose hope in education.”
“So if they should embark on any strike now, it will make more students lose hope in education. And as it said that money is the root of all evils. Many will go into series of illegal ways of making money like internet fraud and the likes. As such, people will derail from furthering their education. I will like the government should look into the issues,” he said.
A final year student of the University of Ilorin, (Unilorin) Alamu Azeez, narrated how the ASUU strike has been affecting him since he gained admission into the school some years back. “On the aspect of the students, no particular person will be happy to experience another strike because it has actually affected all academic institutions except private institutions or some states institutions. But obviously for federal universities, there will want to do everything to save themselves from losing another session,” he said.
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