2022 ASUU STRIKE AT 200 DAYS: POLITICKING, A MAJOR PROBLEM OF ASUU AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

 

On February 14th, 2022, the fresh valentine morning, I was woken up to shouts and general noise as I was informed even before I could sit up straight that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU had pronounced a four week strike to press home their demands to the Federal Government. The previous night, I had slept around some minutes to two in the morning, trying to surf for first hand and verified information with regards to the just concluded meeting by the union. Apparently and unfortunately, there was none. All the reports said that the President will brief the press by 10am in the morning. But as we will have it, by 7am, the news was out. We were going home, no delay. Though eventually, I went home four days later because my school's senate had to meet to confirm if the school will be going on strike with the others. Well I shouldn't tell you the results because already, I'm home. I've been home. I had slept in anticipation of something positive, probably a warning letter or an immediate negotiation. I hadn't even gotten up from my bed when I already got calls from my parents, trying to confirm when I'll be leaving school to come home. Seven months later, the situation hasn't changed much. The Federal Government says that ASUU has been too demanding, considering the economic nature of the country and also, they have been too stubborn to accept some of the offers they have been presented with. The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu specifically said at a time of the negotiations that "This is the best the government can offer." But really, can the government do more? 

There has been lots of criticism directed at the Federal Government at certain times due to the inconsistency of resolving the ASUU strike. But at the same time, I believe that all the monies spent at every point in time is enshrined in the budget of that year, including the monies to be borrowed. Nigeria's budget is highly financed by loans and grants from organizations like the World Bank and the Paris Club of rich lenders and countries like China. To the Federal Government, ASUU's demands are unforseen circumstances and expenditure, and I believe that is the reason why the Government promised to add the monetary part of their demands to the 2023 budget, despite the year being an election year. But ASUU will not have that. They claim that if the Federal Government could buy through borrowing, vehicles for Niger Republic, then why neglect a big education body like ASUU? But at the same time, I believe that it is important to note that countries gift each other materials and other things as a sign of solidarity and as a contribution to diplomacy. In 2020 during the Coronavirus invasion, we received ambulance buses from Germany. We also receive other gifts, including cash from other countries, including our own African countries. So really, I do not have problems with that. But maybe ASUU is right. The Government should also pay rapt attention to the education sector. Already, our public primary and secondary education systems are down due to negligence by the Federal Government and also, their state counterparts. And according to Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, the President of ASUU, government owned universities account for about 95 percent of the total student populace in Nigeria. That's a big reason why anytime news is reported about general events in public universities, of which the current strike is a part of it, they always say "Nigerian Students" and not "Some Nigerian Students", because we have almost all the students in Nigeria at government owned universities. What a life. 

If you access this strike issue properly, you will discover that all the fault doesn't go to the Federal Government. ASUU over the last seven months has been politicizing and politicking by doing the best they can to paint the Federal Government as the sole reason for the misfortune of the education sector at the moment, which is wrong. I attended a Twitter space in early August, hosted by Premium Times. The space had Rinu Oduala and Professor Toyin Falola in attendance. The ASUU President also joined via a phone call. If there was something I picked from thst space, it was the explanation revealing some factors we have consistently refused to consider, due to some of the misinterpretations ASUU has sold to Nigerians. All of the money ASUU has received in the past, could they present clean accounts and audits of how the monies have been shared till now? Could they excessively boast of no complacency in thier National Executive Council? How many times has the Union effected sanctions on erring members who break university ethics which includes bribery and sex for marks? The monies they have received from the Federal Government since they were set up, how has the allocations been, how was the allocation drafted? Can they present all of this? Could they effectively produce accounts for every kobo spent by the Union? We should ask ourselves some of these questions because they're very necessary. ASUU is painting the picture that all the problems of the Nigerian University system is around funding. But is that really true? With all the questions I listed, definitely funding is not the only issue and I believe it's not the main issue and Genesis of the problems of the university system. Complacency is. To me, ASUU has been complacent. That doesn't make General Buhari's Government innocent anyways.

But what is wrong with state universities and ASUU? We'll talk about this another day. Let's get back.

The spokesperson for the Education Ministry, Ben Goong said that the Federal Government has concluded the demands of the ASUU union claiming that up to 85 percent of the agreement has been fulfilled. But is that true? Can we say that? Don't forget that the implementation of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS), the payment of the Earned Academic Allowances, payment of revitalization funds, the increase of Salaries and allowances and the proliferation of state universities are like the major demands of this union. The Federal Government admitted that the UTAS system outscored the incumbent Integrated Personal Payroll System which is being used by the Federal Government to pay the lecturers, when it was put to test. Minister Adamu Adamu then said that the results will be submitted to Council in which General Buhari will sign and UTAS will begin full implementation. He also promised to submit the white paper drafts but till now, I do not think the Minister has done as he said. Then also, the salaries of lecturers haven't been paid since March so we cannot figure or try to process if thier salaries have been increased or not. I still read in the news yesterday that the Government plans to pay the earned academic allowances if and only if ASUU calls off the strike. And of course yes, revitalization funds have not been paid. So how have they met up to 85 percent of the union's demands? Why employing propaganda just to attempt to prove innocence and pacify the situation?

But at the same time, ASUU demanded for the payment of the six soon to be seven months salary that they didn't work for. Suddenly, it became a major requirement to get the strike called off. As a result of this, according to the Education Minister, General Buhari got angry and to be frank, I support the Federal Government on this one. Only thieves clamour for money they didn't work for. It doesn't make sense. Already, a year is wasted. We're not asking ASUU to go back to unfinished work, we're only asking them to resume. We want to go back to school. Either they go back to unfinished work or not. I'm using this medium to call on the Federal Government to answer to the demands of our lecturers and I also call on our lecturers to please, give in to some of the Federal Government's terms and conditions. With all we've read, I think I can now use the hashtag, #EndASUUstrikenow. Thank you.