The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has criticized previous administrations for neglecting the union’s demands and has urged the current Tinubu-led administration to address their concerns.
Dr. Adeola Egbedokun, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU in the Akure Zone, made this statement during a news conference on Monday at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).
The Akure zone of ASUU includes Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife; FUTA; Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti; Federal University, Oye Ekiti; and the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo.
Egbedokun highlighted that the issues which prompted the union’s strike in 2022 remain unresolved. He criticized the ruling class for their apparent indifference to the state of universities, noting that this neglect has driven many dedicated academics to seek better opportunities abroad where their profession is more valued.
The zonal coordinator urged the Tinubu administration to initiate the process for reviewing and signing the 2021 Nimi Briggs-led renegotiated draft agreement, which he described as essential for the future of public universities.
Egbedokun added that it was only concrete steps by the government to restore the eroded dignity and degraded lives of ASUU members that could guarantee lasting peace in public universities in the country.
According to him, the government should always respect the laws and regulations establishing universities and not waiting for the union’s threat before reconstitution of governing councils in federal universities.
He also demanded immediate lifting of the embargo on university employment by the Federal Government that had persisted for years.
The zonal coordinator added that the union had consistently rejected IPPIS platform of salary payment of the union’s members because it violated the autonomy of universities.
“ASUU’s position remains unchanged: Government should revert to quarterly releases of university funds to enable the institutions design and implement their salary payment plans under the supervision of their governing councils.
“In the interest of industrial harmony, government should direct the immediate release of all outstanding deductions, unpaid promotion arrears and salaries of university academics which were unjustly withheld by the corruption-ridden IPPIS regime,” he stated.
Egbedokun called on the National Universities Commission, NUC, to join forces with the union on quality teaching, learning, research and community service in the Nigerian universities rather than creating debilitating academic programmes.
He tasked the government to increase the funding of universities between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of annual budget in line with world-standard, frowning at reduction of TETFund’s intervention in the public universities due to adequate fund to the agency from the Federal Government.
“The Federal Government recently decided to further reduce the resources available for TETFUND intervention by channeling the available fund to the agency to the Students Education Loan Scheme.
“This is antithetical to the law establishing the Education Tax Fund which now operates as TETFund. Grants from TETFund as an intervention agency should not be taken as replacement for the statutory budgetary allocations by Federal and state governments meant for capital and recurrent expenditures in the public universities.
“So, we enjoin the Federal Government not to divert TETFund resources to funding of any controversial loan so as not to water down the impacts of its intervention.
“Governments, both federal and state, should rise to their responsibilities of adequate funding to arrest the emergent rot and decay that becoming more noticeable in the campuses of Nigeria’s public universities in spite of the intervention efforts of TETFund,” he stated.
Egbetokun vowed that the union would continue to speak up in order to ensure that public universities become centres of excellence.
He, however, said that if the insensitive stance of government continued and the union’s members were pushed to the wall, Nigerians should not blame the union for industrial unrest.
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