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BY UKPONO UKPONG
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has alleged that the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are actively attempting to dismantle Nigeria’s public education system.
The union’s concerns were raised amid delays in renegotiating the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement, despite various Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Action (MoAs) aimed at addressing these issues.
ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, highlighted the union’s grievances during the ASUU Heroes Day 2024-2025 event held at its headquarters in Abuja.
He expressed frustration over the government’s continued enforcement of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) in public universities, a policy that he argued undermines the autonomy of educational institutions despite a Federal Executive Council decision to exempt them.
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Prof. Osodeke further lamented the government’s withholding of ASUU members’ salaries for three and a half months, along with unpaid wage awards, promotions, and outstanding Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
He commended ASUU members for their steadfast commitment to improving the public university system, despite these setbacks.
Additionally, Osodeke announced that the union would provide Ph.D. grants, valued at N500,000 each, to selected ASUU members across various universities. These grants, he said, are part of the union’s commitment to advancing academic research and supporting its members.
“Comrades, like in the past, this year’s celebration of our Heroes is also taking place as we continue with the struggle to rescue the Nigeria’s public universities from the suffocating clutches of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) whose determination to destroy and bury our public university system has not abated.
“It is rather lamentable that we are still on the struggle to compel the renegotiation of our 2009 Agreement with the Federal Government twelve years since it should have been concluded and four circles of renegotiation thereafter.
“It is most disheartening and egregious that despite the several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Action (MoAs), the ASUU-FGN 2009 Agreement is yet to be renegotiated and sighted.
“The situation has been further complicated with the enforcement and persistence of IPPIS on the public universities even with the pronouncement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to exit the tertiary education institutions thereof.
“Not to be forgotten is our three and half mouths salaries which is still unjustly withheld. The arrears of wages award, promotions, arrears etc. and Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) are also still outstanding.”
He alleged that at the state level,ASUU members” are still been punished for fighting for the interest of members and the university system. “
“Let me re-emphases that we stand with our members in Kogi State University, Lagos State University, Ebonyi State University, Chukwuemeka Odumegu Ojukwu University in their persecution for their principled support and solidarity in the struggle for the defense of the soul of public university education in Nigeria.
“As part of our Heroes day celebration, this year and in line with NDC decision, the Union will be offering Ph.D grants to some of our members across the various public universities in the country. The Grants of five hundred thousand naira per recipient are based on rigorous assessment of their proposals by experts in their various disciplines.
“I therefore want to salute and commend our members nationwide for their courageous comradeship and sacrifices to the cause of our Union which forever resonates with the emancipation of the Nigerian public university education and the suffering Nigerian people.
“In this respect, we are all heroes of our people and our Union. For as Christopher Reeve note, “A hero is an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.
“Thus, in the course of time your respective place in history is assured as the heroes of our people and our struggles. Let us therefore always be reminded that a people United can never be defeated, ” he said.
The ASUU president commended principal officers and members from across Nigeria “who despite coordinated assaults, continue courageously and with uncommon resilience to stand firm against the forces of neoliberalism who are hell bent on destroying the nation’s public university education and our beloved nation, “he added.
His speech at the event read future:”It is indeed an uncommon honour and privilege to welcome all our honorees, guests and comrades from our different branches nationwide to this year ASUU’s Heroes Day Celebration. This day, 12th November of every year, has been specially set aside by our great Union to honour members who made great sacrifices for the Nigeria educational system in general and the Nigerian public university system in particular.
“The choice of this date is not happenstance rather informed by the history of our Union’s relentless struggles against powers and principalities bent on destroying the system.
“On 12h November 2013, at the peak of one of such struggles and in a most bizarre circumstances we lost a brilliance scholar revolutionary intellectual, quintessential literary icon, great patriot and past president of our union, Comrade Festus Iyayi, a Professor of Business in an accident involving the convoy of the then Governor Kogi State, Captain Idris Ichala Wada (Rtd.)”
Osodeke explained that, “The National Delegate Conference (NDC) of our union in 2014 confirmed the 12th of November as Heroes day to be observed every year to honour and pay tributes to our comrades; dead or alive, who have made great sacrifices for our union in the course of our struggles for a better public university system.”
“Our union has kept to this decision and this year we are honouring our members who participated in our Negotiations in the 1980s and 1990,” added.
Those honoured at the event are:”Prof. T. Uzodinma Nwala;Prof. Bright Ekuerhare;Prof. Oye Oyediran; Mallam Bashir Kurfi; Prof. The name Ikiddeh;Mr. S.A. Fadipe and Prof Sola Olukunle.
Others are Nasir Hussain;Tunde Oduleye; Prof. Rasheed Abubakar; Akin Oyebode; Mustapha A. Danesi; A.T. Wins and Dr. Peter Ozo-son, respectively.
English (US) ·