House Asks FG to Fulfill its Obligations to Striking ASUU

uliet Akoje in Abuja

The House of Representatives has tasked the federal government to immediately fulfill its obligations to Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by honouring the previous agreements signed by both parties, with a view to ending the ongoing nationwide strike action.

It urged Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and ASUU to adhere to the clauses and provisions of the previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the Memorandum of Action (MoA) in the interest of Nigerian students and education sector in Nigeria and call off the warning strike.

Consequently, the House mandated the joint Committees on Labour, Employment and Productivity and, Tertiary Education and Services to interface with the Ministries of Labour and Employment and, Education, Civil Society Organisations, Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) and ASUU to address the outstanding issues that are precipitating the current warning strike by members of ASUU.

These resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion on the ‘Urgent need to address the frequent strike actions by ASUU’ sponsored by Hon. Dozie Nwankwo at plenary yesterday.

Nwankwo while presenting the motion, called for the House’s intervention and expressed concern over the non-implementation of various meetings held by the relevant bodies which led to the call-off of the ASUU strike action which lasted for nine months (from March 2020 to December
2020).

He said:“The House is also aware of the individual and corporate pains the strike action inflicted on Nigerian students, parents and the education sector to the extent that it disrupted the academic calendar and impacted negatively on the teaching staff, their families and the depreciating standards of Nigeria’s public universities.

“The House is conscious of the benefits and advantages of the demands of ASUU on the overall interests of Nigeria’s public institutions and the well-being of the personnel which includes funding for the revitalisation of public universities and signing and implementation of the renegotiated” 2009 FGN- ASUU Agreement, amongst
others.

He stated that shortly after the last horrendous experience by Nigerians, a one-month warning strike action by members of ASUU has commenced with effect from February 14, 2022, despite all previous efforts to resolve the contending issues, such efforts include that of the Speaker, House of Representatives and other stakeholders, who included members of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC).

“The House is further disturbed that the consequences of the strike action are embarrassingly becoming too frequent and with consequences too damning to the education sector as one-month strike action is a too much disruption to an academic calendar and too much time for an ‘idle man’ to cause havoc, especially in the present university environment which is infested with cult activities and other social vices.

“The House is concerned that in the present circumstances, claims and counterclaims by both ASUU members and Government representatives are not helping the situation because the picture created is not clear and both Nigerians and foreigners are left to interpret it differently, regrettably tilting towards perceived/or deliberate intention to frustrate the genuine spirit of reconciliation and tertiary education in Nigeria widely seen as education for the ordinary Nigerian.

Nwankwo explained that major parts of the grounds of dispute border on issues like the injection of revitalisation funds, payment of earned academic allowance and the likes that are obtainable in other African countries like Ghana and South Africa.

“The House is also worried that Nigeria is losing revenue through Nigerian students who school abroad whereas Nigerian Universities can be raised to the standards of the best Universities in Africa and other parts of the world,” he added.

“The House is cognisant that all hands must be on deck to avert the strike action and to allow Public Universities to continue with their programmes undisrupted and to resolve such issues dispassionately,” he noted.

The House also mandated the Committee on Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance.