The nation’s public universities have been grounded since July 1,2013 when the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, ASUU, went on strike over the grievances of the non-implementation of the Federal Government (FGN)/ASUU agreement that was signed in 2009. Over the last five months, no form of academic activity has taken place on any of the campuses of these public universities.
Immediately ASUU embarked on this lengthy strike, the Jonathan administration swung into action to ensure that the issues raised by the distinguished academics are resolved for normal academic activities to resume in these universities.
Negotiations between ASUU and the Jonathan administration have been intense since the strike started.
Most Nigerians will recall that the administration’s First team of negotiators was led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim. At this stage, even the Ministers of Education, Finance and Labour were joined by other very highly placed government officials and technocrats to negotiate a way out of the logjam.
It was at this stage that the Jonathan administration mobilised N100billion, outside the regular TETFund interventions to distribute to all public universities, Federal and State, for infrastructural development. The administration also set aside N30billion for the payment of earned allowances to ASUU members. An Implementation Committee of the NEEDS Assessment Report headed by Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam was established to drive home the total rehabilitation of these universities. ASUU leadership was part of this committee.
Painfully, these negotiations yielded no fruitful results. The next phase of negotiations involved Vice President Namadi Sambo. Fresh concessions were made by the administration at this level, after meetings were held. With the widely publicised Federal Government proposals in hand, the ASUU leadership asked to be excused to consult with her members, before responding to the proposals on the table. They went to their people, but their answer was in the negative.
At this point, the negotiations were stalemated and insinuations flew around. Those who saw the strike as an opportunity to lampoon the administration took to the mainstream and social media, making all manner of allegations. The officials of the Federal Government, however, worked day and night to re-ignite the flames of negotiations, so as to resolve the strike and set in motion the process of quality university education in our country.
It was on 4th November that President Goodluck Jonathan set aside 13 hours to personally negotiate with ASUU. These negotiations lasted to the early hours of the next morning. All the issues as contained in the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement were laid on the table and exhaustively discussed. This was done with the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC, in attendance as witnesses. This all-important meeting at the highest level of Nigerian Government led to concrete resolutions and firm commitments.
One of such very firm and patriotic commitments was the resolution that the Federal Government will expend N200billion annually on infrastructural development of public universities in the next six years amounting to N1.2trillion. The administration further committed itself that it would pay the total sum of earned allowances to the university lecturers.
Like in previous cases, ASUU excused itself and asked for time to consult with her members. After that meeting with the President, the union held a nation-wide referendum on the proposals of President Goodluck Jonathan. The positives of the proposals were accepted by ASUU members who overwhelmingly voted that the strike be called off. This position was widely reported in the national and international media.
Then, the NEC of ASUU was to meet in Kano and inform President Goodluck Jonathan on its final position, which stakeholders expected was the calling off of the prolonged strike in view of the wishes of a vast majority of ASUU members who have resolved to allow President Jonathan implement his laudable proposals.
It was at this juncture that the entire process developed an unexpected complication. Unfortunately, former ASUU National President, Prof. Festus Iyayi who was on his way to the NEC meeting lost his life in a sad car crash. All stakeholders involved in the negotiations were pained by this irreparable loss, especially that Prof. Iyayi had been a key participant in the negotiating process. The Federal Government fully commiserated with the family and union through messages from President Jonathan and the ministers.
In fact, the Supervising Minister of Education, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike led a team that comprised the Federal Ministry of Education and National Universities Commission on a condolence visit to the family of the late Professor Iyayi. The team also visited the injured ASUU National Welfare Officer, Dr Ngozi Iloh at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital where she was receiving treatment due to the unfortunate accident.
Then the waiting game began. The Federal Government, Parents and other stakeholders have waited surprisingly for three weeks without any sign of action on the part of ASUU. When eventually they acted, it was outside the confines of the firm resolutions and commitments reached at the last meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan.
Shockingly, they shifted the goal post in the middle of the game. The union introduced fresh demands that were never part of the earlier agreements; neither were they part of the commitments President Jonathan made to the union when he spent 13-man hours negotiating with them.
It is agreed that the nation’s public universities have infrastructural challenges. The NEEDS Assessment report that clearly chronicled these challenges was initiated by the Jonathan administration. The same administration also voluntarily established the NEEDS report implementation committee. Whoever plays the Ostrich, attempting to accuse President Jonathan of failing to frontally tackle the challenges facing Nigerian universities is being economical with the truth.
No previous administration has ever achieved the level of milestone developments that have taken place in the public universities since 2011. The rot the administration met on ground was extremely deep, but through meticulous and sustained funding of the universities and TETfund, visible improvements have been achieved both in the infrastructural and academic areas of the centres of learning. These are facts that are on ground.
When the administration committed itself to releasing funds to revive critical infrastructure in the universities, it did not only ‘agree’, like its predecessors did. It went ahead to release N130billion to the Governing Councils for infrastructure and the payment of earned allowances. Now that the President himself has resolved to release N200billion annually, the same process will apply. As an academic himself, the President’s commitment to education is total and futuristic.
It is on this premise that the Federal Government has resolved not to allow the nation’s Federal Universities to be further enmeshed in the politics of unionism. The issues in contention have been resolved and agreements reached with ASUU. This time, ASUU should also respect the agreement reached and act accordingly. Any further issues will be raised at a further date and will be fully addressed through continuous engagement.
For now, the position of the Federal Government as spelt out by the Supervising Minister of Education, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike on Thursday November 28 are as follows:
i. All Vice – Chancellors of Federal Universities that are currently on strike should immediately reopen for academic and allied activities as directed by their Pro-Chancellors;
ii. Vice – Chancellors should ensure that staff who resume for work are provided with the enabling environment for academic and allied activities;
iii. Any academic staff who fails to resume on or before the 4th of December, 2013 automatically ceases to be a staff of the institution; and
iv. Vice-Chancellors are also directed to advertise vacancies (internal and external) in their institutions.
*The National Universities Commission is hereby directed to monitor the compliance of these directives by the various institutions.
*The Federal Government has met all its commitments and obligations with respect to the FG/ASUU 2009 Agreement.
The Federal Government communicated its decision to meet all the resolutions and commitments to ASUU vide a signed document by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education. As such, there is enough political will to drive home the process of implementation.
This position was taken in the interest of preserving the nation’s public universities as they serve the vast majority of Nigerians. The Federal Government cannot continue with this endless round of negotiations which are proving to be tactically manoeuvred to drag down the system.
The issues at stake are beyond contrived and sponsored propaganda to cast the administration in bad light. These are issues of national development and all Nigerians irrespective of their political and social affiliations must support he Federal Government in its bid to take our public universities to the take level. The results that we seek cannot be achieved whilst he universities are shut.
For the purpose of emphasis, no previous administration has committed itself to addressing educational challenges the way President Jonathan has done. Those who think otherwise, should make their case.
The most gratifying aspect of the entire process, is that the President is completely overhauling the tertiary and basic education sub-sectors. As we engage in this discourse, he has set in motion the process of fundamental interventions in Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. The massive successful interventions in the basic education sector to address the out of school children challenge in the country is a familiar success story.
Written By Simeon Nwakaudu
