Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, NAU, Awka Chapter, took to the roads in the university on Tuesday, protesting what they called the Nigerian government’s insensitivity to their plights and the poor condition of public universities in the country.
The protesting lecturers are calling on the Government not to allow their patience to burn out with its continued delay in concluding the re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement and its subsequent signing into law.
The ASUU members, who bore placards with inscriptions such as ‘Pay us Fairly,’ ‘Stop Suffocating University Lecturers,’ ‘Support Quality Education,’ ‘FG honour Alh. Yayale Ahmed Agreement,’ among others, chanted protest songs as they moved round the school.
After a short demonstration along the Enugu-Awka expressway, the protesters moved to the administrative block of the institution, where they were addressed by management.
Speaking during the protest, the ASUU-NAU Chairperson, Comrade Innocent Nnubia recalled how ASUU, three months ago, at its National Secretariat in Abuja, warned against complacency in addressing issues affecting its members.
Some of the issues he noted included the conclusion of the re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, immediate payment of three and a half months’ withheld salaries of members, sustainable funding of public universities, and revitalization of public universities.
Others he noted to include, the victimization of its colleges in LASU, KSU (now Prince Abubakar Audu University) and FUTO, the outstanding 25-35% salary arrears, promotion arrears for over 4 years and third party deductions.
He regretted that most of the promises made by the government to address the issues, have not been fulfilled.
According to him, the protest is to alert the government and the public that time is running out and the ASUU should not be held responsible if there is a breakdown of industrial harmony on its campuses.
“The 2009 Agreement was due for renewal in 2012, but here we are still on the same salary after 16 years. Is this not a show of shame? In 2009, a professor earned about $3000 in salary, but today it is less than $400; this is pitiable and unacceptable.
We demand the immediate release of our three-and-a-half-month salaries held by the Federal government during the 2022 National Strike. The government cannot beat a child and urge him/her not to cry.
The government instigated the strike by failing to honour agreements entered into with the Union in various Memoranda of Understanding and Action. Moreover, our members have completed all their outstanding academic work and are now demanding their payments.
“Also, as a survival strategy, some of our members embarked on thrift contributions of part of their salaries payable to some cooperative societies. These contributions were requested to be deducted from the source and remitted to the cooperative societies.
“It is disturbing that the federal government, after the deductions, failed to remit the same to the cooperative societies. This, to us, is a deliberate act to strangulate/frustrate members of the Union, hence, ASUU NAU demands the immediate remittance of these monies to the respective cooperative societies.
“We are also aware of the harm lack of funding has caused in our universities, and ASUU has on several occasions continued to remind the Government of the need to properly fund our universities, but this seemingly continues to fall on deaf ears.
The government should, through its appropriate agencies, take the necessary steps to properly fund our universities. Education budget in Nigeria should not be less than 26%,” he said.
Nnubia noted that the government cannot continue with its delay tactics forever, adding that ASUU has reached its limits in patience and can no longer guarantee industrial harmony as its members are tired, hungry, and weak.
Also speaking, the ASUU Southeast zonal Coordinator, Prof Dennis Aribodor, insisted that ASUU is a strike-monger, but is only concerned about the welfare of its members and the improvement of the condition of public universities in the country.
He noted that ASUU will only resort to a strike when it has exhausted every means to get the government to do the right things to save the dwindling fortunes of public universities in the country.
