ASUU: Strike Looms in Nigerian Universities as FG fails to honour agreement

There are indications that Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may ground academic activities in public universities over non implementation of several agreements entered into between the federal government and the union.

Signals over the weekend were not clear as ASUU is deeply worried by the failure of the government to honour the 2009 Needs Assessment agreement.

The agreement is targeted at providing N220 billion annually for the revitalisation of public universities nationwide.

An official of the union who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that the leadership of the union had concluded plans to embark on industrial action should the government fail to provide funds for the continuation of critical projects under the Needs Assessment scheme.

The source said the decision of ASUU which is yet to be made public premised on the fact that the present government is reluctant to honour agreement with the union, especially the implementation of the 2009, Needs Assessment Programme considered as a game changer towards the revival of the decaying infrastructure in the universities.

The source stated that the planned action, however, depends on the resolutions that would be arrived at during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the body scheduled to hold soon.

Similarly, a Senior lecturer in one of the universities revealed that the leadership of the union is strongly against the tax reform bills introduced by the present government, especially the provision that could affect the Education Tax and accessed by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for the benefit of institutions of higher learning.

One of the sources, stated that the union’s position on the tax bills has since been made public by its president, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, when he appeared as a guest for a program on television station recently.

Osodeke, condemned proposed scrapping of TETFund, insisting that the agency has impacted positively on tertiary institutions in the country and should not be scrapped or striped of its core mandate.

Responding to an inquiry, a university don, Dr Tunde Olagunjembi, a research fellow at the Institute of Project Management Jos, and a University Lecturer, advised President Bola Tinubu against abandoning the needs assessment scheme
designed to provide funds for the reinvigoration of public universities, particularly rehabilitation of decaying infrastructure.

Olagunjembi said the president should sustain the Needs Assessment Scheme in the interest and development of the Nigerian University system.

He appealed to the president to approve the immediate release of funds for the continuation of critical projects in the institutions being executed under the scheme.

He insisted that the university community and the Academic Staff Union of Universities are eagerly waiting for the commencement of the projects under the present administration.

The university don stated that the stable academic calendar being witnessed today is a result of the sacrifices by ASUU members whom he revealed resolved to allow the President time to settle down,
He, however, warned that time is fast running out, and the president must take immediate steps towards funding the needs assessment projects.

According to him, the introduction of the intervention funds for needs assessment projects was a result of an agreement entered into between the federal government and ASUU, based on a fact-finding Committee of the government to change the state of infrastructure at the various citadel of learning in Nigeria.

He lamented that the immediate past administration could not sufficiently release funds for the project, hence the incessant, prolonged industrial action by the various unions in the universities.

He, therefore, advised the President whom he acknowledged has made significant statements towards the revamping of the Education sector to release funds for the projects to ensure a stable and quality academic environment at the institutions.

Olagunjembi, who has spent over two decades teaching in various institutions across Nigeria, expressed deep concern that more than a year into the life of the Tinubu-led government, nothing has been heard about plans for the implementation of the needs assessment program of the federal government.

He hinted that the academic calendar of the universities could be once again disrupted if the government refused to make funds available for the implementation of critical projects across the tertiary institutions of learning.

The associate professor of project management noted that the relative peace being enjoyed at the campus of the universities is a demonstration of the union’s desire to fully cooperate with the present administration for the ultimate benefits of the education sector and indeed, the society at large.

He, however, warned that the various unions would have no choice but to act appropriately in the interest of the public universities if the government continued to show a look-warm attitude towards the implementation of the agreement reached with ASUU on the intervention funds for needs assessment, earn academic allowance, staff salary pension.

The renowned university lecturer called on the new Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to urgently present the challenge of non-releasing of funds for needs assessment projects and also take steps to reverse the brain drain syndrome in the educational sector.

It will be recalled that the federal government had in 2009 reached an agreement with ASUU for the provision of 220 billion annually as intervention funds for the revitalization of universities across the country under the needs assessment program.

The implementation of the scheme has, however, been at a snail speed, leading to several industrial actions.

A renewal of the agreement was done in 2014, but it has yet to witness significant progress, a development the Tinubu ‘s Administration is expected to correct by adequately funding needs assessment projects.