With the strike by the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions, in most public universities, in solidarity with Academic Staff Union of Universities, parents of students in these institutions have expressed dismay over the persistence stay at home of their wards. They observed that strikes have lost their sting on the government so unions should find another way to fight the battle. Funmi Ogundaare reports
Recently, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU), in most public universities across the country had embarked on a two-week warning strike in solidarity with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
ASUU had embarked on a total strike since February 14 to press home its demands as conditions for resumption with the federal government.
The demands include lecturers’ condition of service contained in the renegotiated agreement and the adoption of the Universities Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) in replacement of the Integrated Personal Payroll Information System ( IPPIS) which is currently in use.
The President of the union, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke described IPPIS as a monumental fraud, adding that its replacement, UTAS which ASUU members developed has been tested and passed the integrity test.
According to him, “two things are critical to calling off the strike; one, Nigerian lecturers keep on getting the same salary they have been receiving since 2009. The condition of service which is contained in the renegotiated agreement is non-negotiable, and secondly, the IPPIS must be jettisoned and replaced with what we have put on ground; UTAS, which has been demonstrated to be superior.
“Even the auditor general of the federation has confirmed that IPPIS is a monumental fraud. So those two are non-negotiable, they are the irreducible minimum. So when you have not heard that one, whatever they (the government) say, they are joking.”
In solidarity with the union, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU), University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter, shut down electricity and water supply to the institution following the commencement of a two-week industrial action.
The strike began midnight of Sunday, March 27, to cripple both academic and administrative activities in the university.
The decision to commence the strike, according to the unions, followed the nonchallant attitude of government to their demands.
Addressing union members at the front of UNILAG Senate Nuilding, during its congress, Chairman of SSANU, Sowunmi Olushola, decried the failure of government to review salaries and implement promotion arrears, as well as non-payment and in some cases, haphazard payment of retirees’ benefits, among others.
He also condemned the inconsistencies in the IPPIS, saying that the attendant problems remain unabated.
After the congress, the union members stormed the service area housing Akoka Electricity Transmission Station to shut down power and water supply to the university.
Olushola, who was in company of his NASU counterpart, Aderibigbe Ayooluwa, said with the shutdown, nothing will work on campus as all offices are expected to be under lock and key.
He directed members of both unions to stay at home through out the period of the strike, saying, “no service is essential at this time, stay off campus, no concession under any guise.
”The union leaders further directed all security guards and drivers to comply with the strike action and remain at home while the union moved from office to office, sending away their members who had resumed work.
They emphasised that if at the end of the two weeks, government does not respond, they will commence a total strike action.
Similarly, the Chairman of SSANU, Lagos State University (LASU) chapter, Alhaji Seyi Lawal confirmed to THISDAY in a telephonic interview that the institution’s chapter held a congress during which the strike was decided. He said it directed that all academic and administrative activities should be suspended.
“Nobody is to work. That is the instructions and directive from above,” he said.
He added that negotiation with government is ongoing, adding that the union is agitating for the 2019 agreement which the government has failed to fulfil.
However, with the current strike by the various unions, parents whose children attend public universities have expressed concern about their persistence stay at home, saying that the unions have lost their sting on the government and they should find another way to fight the battle.
Mr. Adekunle Adeyemi said, “I have two boys in the university. Fortunately one of them is still in school because the school is not a member of ASUU though it is a state-owned university. However, the other one is home and doing nothing presently. We are trying to get him a place that is close to the house to intern, I really hope this works out because I’m not happy seeing him at home when he should be in school.”
Mr. Lekan Yusuf said it is not a sweet experience seeing your wards at home when ordinarily they should have been in school learning, adding that he had to enrol his daughter into a tailoring workshop.
” I have a young daughter who is 17, and has just secured admission into one of the state owned universities, but due to the effect of COVID-19 that disrupted the academic calendar then in 2020, the newly admmited category of her school are still at home because the school is rushing to complete the 2020/ 2021 session.
“My wife had to enroll her in a tailoring session since she has interest in it, but each time I have private discussion with her I do see her frustration. Skills acquiring is one of the best option to keep our wards busy, but we need to do it with love and caution because these children are grown up and they know what they want for themselves, just we parents. Federal government and ASUU are frustrating them. May God Almighty heal our land.”
Mrs. Akinyosoye Blessing said, “they are really drawing the children backwards. Their mates in the private sector are making progress, while these ones are just at home. So sad! Government please we beg you for God’s sake. The government doesn’t have our children at heart. So pathetic!
Mrs. Gloria Ubong appealed to the union to seek other ways of redress saying that strikes have lost their sting on government.
“Fight if you need to, but you cannot keep doing the same thing for over 30 years and expect a different result.Strikes have lost their sting on the government. Find another way to fight the battle and leave perennial strikes out of it.
“Strikes hurt the people you are fighting for and not the people you are fighting against.”
Mrs. Toyin Ijagbemi-Eni stressed the need for country to elect into positions of leadership people who are truly educated rather than certificate carriers.
“We should elect into government people who have proven hard work or displayed intelligence.If we go by certificate, some have bought their ways through.”
Mrs. Tolani Lateef said, “there should be university parents/council/lecturer forum in which the parents will have the opportunity to be part of what is going on. I know the lecturers will be among us ,they can chair the forum,so if there is any meeting with the federal government, parents will contribute their own quota and things will be ironed out easily also.”
