The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Branch, Friday alleged that the Federal government was hell bent on decimating public university lecturers in their employ with forced hunger, as was the case during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war. The branch Chairperson, Dr Ogugua Egwu stated this while reacting to the irksome and provocative outbursts of the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, on their “take it or leave it” offer of peanuts to university lecturers, as alternative to the principles of collective bargaining. In a statement titled “FG: Weaponizing hunger on our dependents” Comrade Egwu wondered why all the Ministers involved in resolving the FG-ASUU face-off were being economical with the truth, adding that “they come to the public domain every day to misinform Nigerians.” According to him, before 2015 when this administration was still fighting to unseat the Jonathan administration, Adamu Adamu was solidly behind ASUU when the Union was on strike. “Back then when Adamu Adamu still had common sense and shared some sympathies for ASUU, he openly declared to the whole world that: “This nation owes a debt of gratitude to ASUU and the strike should not be called off until the government accepts to do and does what is required. So, instead of hectoring ASUU to call off its strike, the nation should be praying for more of its kind in other sectors of the economy”. “Having freely made such a statement not too long ago, many observers and social historians wonder whether Adamu was inebriated when he unleashed those lifesaving thoughts to the public domain through a popular newspaper column or not. “Again, while reacting to the threat by Adamu that striking public university lecturers will not be paid their six months’ withheld salaries, the branch Chairperson stated that Adamu’s statements were a confirmation of the pristine loathing the current government has had for ASUU since coming into power.” He stated further that: “FG’s hatred of our Union is congenitally historical and unmistakeably aimed at annihilating our members and their many dependants. In what better ways do you explain the monthly and uninterrupted payment of salaries to striking workers in Nigeria’s Research Institute for many months running, whereas ASUU is being punished? “How does one explain the fact that ASUU members’ salaries were abruptly stopped in February 2022 immediately this strike action commenced, whereas the same government continued paying non-teaching staff in the same public universities who are even with larger wage bills and populations than ASUU? “How do you justify the payment of idle refineries workers salaries running into over 136 billion naira by this same government, according to the Guardian newspaper, while ASUU members and their families are being starved to death for their patriotism? “And as though these well-hatched insults to ASUU are not enough, the same Buhari government that is using the “No work, no pay” stratagem against ASUU, has just woken up late in the evening to pay the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), and other Allied hospital workers their April and May salaries of 2018 which this same government withheld because they embarked on a properly and legitimately convened strike action, just like we did in February this year. “Rhetorically, the branch Chairperson questioned: “Where is the justice, or is this another modern Nigerian way of replicating the injustices of powerful men against innocent, patriotic and hardworking Nigerian lecturers as was demonstrated in George Orwell’s Animal Farm? “That this government is planning to kill and bury public universities in Nigeria the same way they have done to public primary and secondary education, is indeed very worrisome. And more worrisome is the fact that nearly the entire assemblage of the current Buhari cabinet members schooled through the benevolence of government incentives like decent infrastructure and even scholarships! “One again wonders why their entire ilk, including some of their unpatriotic diasporan collaborators, like Farooq Kperogi, will shamelessly come to the public space to blame ASUU for the current woes of students in public universities in Nigeria. And that’s what happens when the likes of Kperogi, Ngige, Keyamo and Adamu get compromised by selfish pecuniary benefits, instead of honourably admitting their failures or the mistakes of government like Isa Pantami has already done by exposing the ills of fraudulent IPPIS, GIFMIS and TSA, even though belatedly.”

  The Vice Chancellor, Osun State University, (Uniosun), Professor Clement Adeboye has stressed the need for the Federal Government to review the autonomy granted universities in the country with a view to ensure efficiency in the system. This is as he described statement credited to the President of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke on television interview that Uniosun is a “quack” university as reckless. Speaking with journalists at the University main campus in Osogbo, he said the present state of university autonomy is confusing and has a lot of lacuna, wondering how universities with autonomy still run to Abuja for finance related assistance. “We have to renegotiate with the government the issue of university autonomy. I don’t understand a system with autonomy that still run to Abuja to resolves issues. It is either the law regarding autonomy is reviewed to allow council take control of the universities or FG scrapped it and takes over funding of education completely”, he said. While reacting to the statement credited ASUU President, Professor Osodeke, that Uniosun is one of the quacks university for not joining the union’s strike, the institution’s Vice Chancellor, said Osodeke need to get educated for talking on issues he lack adequate knowledge over. His words; “Some federal universities have been struggling to get accredited of courses we are running, that shows that we are committed to excellence. We take exception to the statement made by Osodeke referring to Uniosun as quack school. “This university has a profile of having done what other universities have not done in 14 years of its existence. This University has 481 full time academic staff, out of them 387 of them are PhD holders. “For a university to have collaboration with Havard University, and win several foreign grants including Canada, Germany, Norway, and many more, that means we are not a quack university. “Osodeke should is careless with his comments, he is just a Nigerian, he should not talk about what he doesn’t know. A true Professor should speak to fact, which has not done, he should get educated”.

  A group, the Campaign for Equal Rights and Opportunities for all Nigerians, CERON, has appealed to the striking members of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to make concessions in their demands and call off the lingering industrial action in the interest of the worried parents and students. The group urged ASUU to emulate other striking members of associations in public universities who made concessions and called off their action after heeding the appeals by parents and students. The Secretary of CERON, Mr. Francis Odiir who made the appeal weekend in Makurdi lamented that Nigerians were getting agitated over the strike which had crippled Nigeria’s public universities and forced several students into social vices and crime. The group pointed out that “the sympathy ASUU enjoys among Nigerians was already waning because other associations in the universities have called off their action and Nigerians expect that ASUU should toe the same path. “That is why we are appealing to ASUU to call off the strike while they continue their negotiation with the government so that they will still continue to enjoy the support and sympathy of all Nigerians. “ASUU should realise by now that the present administration pays little attention to the education sector and therefore shouldn’t expect anything extraordinary from the government to better the sector. “These are people who have their children in schools outside the country and therefore cannot appreciate the pains the children of the masses who populate the public universities and their parents are going through due to the prolonged strike. “That is the more reason why we are appealing to the striking lecturers to consider the pains of the students and their parents and call off the action. “We earnestly believe that the next government which would be ushered in, in about nine months time would prioritize the education of our youths and address the pending issues because this present administration has shown clearly that education is not its priority which is rather unfortunate in this age and era.” RELATED