Press Statement
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 and Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun is constrained once more to make this statement, as it is becoming increasingly apparent that the functionaries and agents of the Federal Government of Nigeria are priming the pump for another spate of industrial unrest in the nation’s educational sector, and, in the process, are set to dismantle every platform on which education rests in Nigeria.
In a release signed by the Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Fred Esumeh, he said that this position is borne out of the Federal Government’s deceit and dishonesty in relation to the implementation of the December 22, 2020 Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) prior to the suspension of an earlier strike action embarked upon by the Union.
For the records, he said that the earlier strike action was declared on the 23rd of March 2020 over the Federal Government’s failure to honour the terms of an earlier 7th February 2019 Memorandum of Action in which the Federal Government had freely agreed to conclude the details of the renegotiation of the FGN-ASUU 2009 Agreement.
The release by the Zone further revealed that the specific issues remain the Federal Government’s deliberate delay in deploying the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as the payment platform for University staff, the non-payment of the due tranche of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), the non-release of the earlier agreed sum for the revitalisation of public universities, the unwillingness to sign the draft of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, the continued non-payment of promotion arrears, the non-payment of withheld salaries, and the non-remittance of deducted check-off dues of the Union.
Prof. Esumeh stated that on the 2nd of August 2021, ASUU and the Federal Government met over the issues listed above with the Executive Secretary, NUC, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, representatives of the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information Service (IPPIS), Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) all in attendance.
At the meeting, the Federal Government’s team assured ASUU that all the outstanding issues would have been fully addressed by the 31st of August 2021. In the words of the Zonal Coordinator, sadly, however, and very characteristic of the Federal Government of Nigeria, not one of the issues listed above has been attended to as we speak. Accordingly, the implication of this unfortunate development is that another round of crisis in the nation’s tertiary institutions will be inevitable unless the Federal Government acts fast to fulfil its obligation to the Nigeria University System and avert the looming crisis, he continued..
And because of the critical role education occupies in Nation building, the Zone calls on everyone – students, parents, civil society organisations, the Nigerian Labour Congress, captains of industry, to prevail on the Federal Government of Nigeria to honour its agreement with ASUU and prevent the nation’s educational sector from sliding further into an undesirable level of decay and dysfunction. In particular, ASUU Benin Zone sues the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Dr. Chris Ngige to go beyond mere superintending over agreements and see to such agreements’ implementation.
At the level of the State universities, the Benin Zone of ASUU called on Visitors to State Universities to stop proliferation of universities and adequately fund existing ones. The statement further called on the relevant Governors and the Governing Councils of the affected institutions to urgently ensure adequate budgetary provisions for capital and recurrent expenditure, domesticate the Universities (Miscellaneous Provision) (Amendment) Act of 2012, pay all arrears of salaries owed staff as well as pay up all third party deductions, among others.