BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Students of tertiary institutions across the country are expected to resume lectures on Monday, October 17 after the suspension of the 8-month industrial strike.
This is even as the President, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Emmanuel Osodeke revealed damning statements on why the union called off the strike action embarked by university lecturers.
ASUU had last week announced the suspension of the strike after an emergency meeting with its National Executive Council (NEC) that started on Thursday night and dovetailed to Friday.
In a statement issued by Osodeke, he said that the decision to suspend the strike was due to pleas by President Muhammadu Buhari, parents, students as well as the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
"However, as a law-abiding Union and in deference to appeals by the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, and in recognition of the efforts of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and other well meaning Nigerians, ASUU NEC resolved to suspend the strike action embarked upon on 14th February 2022".
While noting that the issues that triggered the strike were not satisfactory addressed, he directed all members of ASUU to resume the services withdrawn with effect from 12:01 on Friday, 14th October, 2022.
"Consequently, all members of ASUU are hereby directed to resume all services hitherto withdrawn with effect from 12:01 on Friday, 14th October, 2022.", he added.
Chairmen of the state chapters and members of the NEC attended the meeting at the Comrade Festus lyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, which doubles as its secretariat.
The Beginning
ASUU had on February 14, 2022 commenced a nationwide strike over the adoption of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) of the government as the payment system for university staff members.
Other issues raised by ASUU were non-payment of salaries and allowances of some staff, poor funding of universities and the inability of government to pay earned academic allowance to lecturers.
Several talks between the federal government and lecturers of public universities ended in deadlock.
In a bid to get the lecturers back to the citadels of learning, the federal government dragged ASUU to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).
Delivering a ruling on the interlocutory injunction filed by the federal government on September 21, Justice Polycarp Hamman of NICN restrained ASUU from continuing with the industrial action pending the determination of the suit.
NICN said that the industrial action was detrimental to public university students, who cannot afford to attend private tertiary institutions.
Despite the court’s ruling, ASUU maintained its stance on continuing with the strike and filed an appeal to counter the judgment.
This irked the federal government, who on September 26, directed vice-chancellors to reopen universities and resume academic activities across the country.
This was contained in a letter by the Director of Finance and Accounts, National Universities Commission (NUC), Sam Onazi on behalf of the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Abubakar Rasheed.
It was addressed to all vice-chancellors, pro-chancellors and chairmen of governing councils of federal universities.
“Ensure that ASUU members immediately resume/commence lectures; restore the daily activities and routines of the various university campuses,” the letter reads.
While the crisis lingered, the federal government registered two factional unions – the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) to weaken ASUU's power.
But ASUU fired back, saying that it was unperturbed about the government’s decision, describing the new unions as illegal.
Below is the statement issued by Osodeke:
PRESS RELEASE
13 October, 2022
ASUU SUSPENDS ITS STRIKE ACTION
1. The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) held an emergency meeting at the Comrade Festus lyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, Abuja, on Thursday, 13th October, 2022. The meeting reviewed developments since the Union declared an indefinite strike action on 29th August, 2022.
2. During the intervening period, the Minister of Labour and Employment, through a referral, approached the National Industrial Court (NIC) for the interpretation of “the provision of sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 18 (1) of the Trade Dispute Act, Cap T8 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, whether the on-going prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities which started since 14th February, 2022 is legal even after statutory apprehension by the Minister of Labour and Employment?” In addition, he asked for an interlocutory order against the continuation of the strike.
3. The National Industrial Court in its wisdom gave an order compelling ASUU to resume work pending the determination of the substantive suit. Given the nature of the order, and in the opinion of our counsel, there was the need to appeal the interlocutory injunction granted against our Union at the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal acknowledged the validity of the grounds of the Union’s appeal but still upheld the order of the lower court and ordered our Union to comply with the ruling of the lower court as condition precedent for the appeal to be heard.
4. NEC noted the series of meetings with the leadership of the House of Representatives led by the Hon. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as intervention efforts of other well-meaning Nigerians both within and outside government and the progress made so far.
5. NEC deliberated on the recommendations of the Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila-led Committee within the framework of the FGN/ASUU’s Memorandum of Action(MoA) of 2020 on the contending issues that led to the strike action. For the avoidance of doubt, the issues include: Funding for Revitalisation of public universities, Earned Academic Allowances, Proliferation of public Universities, Visitation Panels/Release of White Papers, University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a broad spectrum software to stop illegality and provide for an alternative payment platform in the university system and Renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement.
6. While appreciating the commendable efforts of the leadership of the House of Representatives and other patriotic Nigerians who waded into the matter, NEC noted with regrets that the issues in dispute are yet to be satisfactorily addressed.
7. However, as a law-abiding Union and in deference to appeals by the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, and in recognition of the efforts of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and other well meaning Nigerians, ASUU NEC resolved to suspend the strike action embarked upon on 14th February 2022.
Consequently, all members of ASUU are hereby directed to resume all services hitherto withdrawn with effect from 12:01 on Friday, 14th October, 2022.
Thank you.
Emmanuel Osodeke President
13th October, 2022
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