Press Release
Academic Staff Union Of Uniersities (ASUU) Benin Zone
The Benin Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) comprising University of Benin, Benin City, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Delta State University, Abraka, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun and University of Delta, Agbor rose from a crucial meeting today and wishes to draw the attention of the general public to government’s insincerity in honouring agreements with the Union.
In a release signed by the Benin Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Fred Esumeh, ASUU accused government of being insensitive to the challenges confronting University education, thereby mortgaging the future of Nigeria. The Zone called on government not to kill Public Universities in Nigeria by failing to honour agreements reached with the Union. In the release, the Benin Zone said the looming strike action of the Union is traceable to the failure to fully implement the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement and that attempts to get government to fully implement the agreement had led to several Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and Memoranda of Action (MOAs) which remained unfulfilled.
In fact, according to the Zonal Coordinator, the most crucial aspect of the agreement being neglected by government is the failure to conclude the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement renegotiation. The Zone therefore calls on the government to urgently sign the 2021 renegotiated document and commence its implementation.
It was noted in the release that the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement was due for renegotiation in 2012, but ASUU was patient with government and the process was only concluded 2020. This gave rise to a draft agreement which is yet to be signed by Government. It is worrisome to read of a statement credited to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Sonny Echono that most agreements between ASUU and Federal Government were reached under duress. Berating the Permanent Secretary, the Zone describes the statement as unguided, reckless and unpatriotic. At best the comment by the Permanent Secretary is a testament of one who had been superintending over the gradual and shameful decline in all sphere of Public Universities in Nigeria, says the Zone.
The Nigerian public universities are no longer attractive to foreign academics/lecturers. This according to the statement is due to the prevailing slave wage where the highest ranked Professor earns less than a thousand dollars monthly. Where then is the universality of the Nigerian Universities, the zone questioned.
The statement pointed to another area of Government’s insincerity which is the delay in deployment of the University Transparency Accountability Solutions (UTAS) in the management of personnel and payroll in the University system. The Zone also cited as a clear example the delay in release of the report of test on UTAS. ASUU calls for the deployment of UTAS, a home grown and robust software for personnel and payroll management solution.
Concluding, the Zone calls on Government to avert the looming strike action by honouring agreements reached with the Union.
Prof. Fred Esumeh
Zonal Coordinator