Save Nigeria’s Public Varsities From Total Collapse, ASUU begs Tinubu

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to save the nation’s public universities from total collapse, by signing and implementing the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.

The Union said the implementation is in line with the collective bargaining principles as enshrined in the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention.

The appeal was made by the coordinator of the Lagos zone of ASUU, Professor Adelaja Odukoya, during a press conference held on Friday, at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago -Iwoye, Ogun State.

The news conference was attended by 7 branch chairmen of ASUU from the zone and immediate past branch chairmen of the union.

Odukoya said that the ASUU patience has been tasked beyond bearable limit because the federal government has failed to sign and implement the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN since 2021, considering the massive resources committed by the two parties.

While urging President Tinubu to without further delay, set in motion machineries for the quick signing and implementation of the agreement to avoid another round of industrial crises in the nation’s public universities.

He said, “For the umpteenth time, our Union again call the attention of the public to the insincere proliferation and mushrooming of universities by both Federal Government and Visitors to State Universities.

The most disturbing aspect of this anomaly is that while most Governments, at Federal and State levels have not been adequately funding existing universities (inadequate subvention; non-release of monthly subvention; irregular payment of staff salaries, decayed and dilapidated infrastructures, non-payment/release of check-off and other third party deductions etc.), Visitors of Federal and State universities have turned establishment of universities to constituency projects.

“This development is obviously harmful, retrogressive and unacceptable. Our Union hereby calls for the review and strengthening of the NUC laws to arrest the negative trends.C. Non-payment of Withheld Salaries and Arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA)Comrades and compatriots of the press, it is no longer news that the Federal Government is still holding on to three and half months’ salaries of our members in the face of the government intransigence which necessitated the last strike action on the one hand and the current excruciating economic challenges confronting the nation on the other.”

“In addition, the arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) since 2020 still outstanding. Our Union unequivocally condemn this callous, unprogressive, destructive, anti-labour and inhuman act and demand the unconditional payment of all withheld salaries and arrears of EAA of our members.D.

Injurious Downside of the Discredited Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS)Our Union’s unequivocally rejection of the IPPIS as a monster and an ill-wind that would blow the Nigerian university system no good has become part of our history. Our stance and foresight had since been vindicated.

“We still insist that IPPIS is a cesspit of centralised corruption by government officials forcefully imposed and foisted on the Nigerian State by Breton Woods institutions of IMF and World Bank.

Even with Government pronouncement on the exit of the universities from IPPIS, the deliberate refusal of corrupt Government and Ministry officials to migrate the university Payroll System away from IPPIS is unfortunate and condemnable.”