… Says NIREC, CAN behind the reason for not embarking on strike last month
….Says Nwajuba doesn’t know anything about education
By Ibe Pascal Arogorn
The Academic Staff Union Of University (ASUU) has stated that it will only give the federal government till the end of January to implement it’s agreement with the union.
The national president of ASUU, Prof.Emmanuel Osodeke stated this during an exclusive interview with Crimefacts.news on Sunday afternoon on the Telephone.
When asked about the reason for considering another strike by ASUU, Osodeke said, “FG’s release of 30 billion for revitalisation fund and 22.5 billion for earned allowance were not the major issues, the 30billon is a sign that they will implement the need assessment report which will release N420 billion on annual basis for the next five years, that was issue”.
“Our major issues were our negotiated agreement of 2009 and also that of May 2021. We are now in 2022 yet we had not had from the government on whether they accept or never accepted the agreement. This is the eighth month not even a reply from the government since we filed a negotiation since May 2021.”
“On the issue of University Transparency And Accountability Solution (UTAS), as I speak, befure IPPIS was introduced I was earning up to N500,000 per month now it has gone down to N416,000 as a professor, the system cuts our salaries and allowance in the name of saving money, that’s it. I expect the press to have an interaction with the Auditor-General of the federation and ask him to release the report on IPPIS, about 200 page documents only then you will know what they have done to this country with IPPIS. We are taking about UTAS but the government don’t want to hear our voice , so these are the major issues.
Speaking further, “On issue of 22.5 billion for earned allowances , the government are owing the union about eight months arrears of earned allowances and they are only releasing one so is that an issue? Our issue is not about money but that agreement. The agreement also made provision for the funding of universities and other sources of funding which the government refused to touch and our members are very angry”.
Osodeke said that ASUU backed down on strike as a result of intervention by Nigeria Inter-Religion Council (NIREC) last month.
Also when asked to comment on the insistence of Emeka Nwajuba, the Minister of education for state that federal government has met demands of ASUU, Professor Osodeke said that Nwajuba don’t know his ministerial job .
He said, “I don’t think Nwajuba knows anything about education. When you look at our agreement you will know that the issues of EAA is there, you will know that the issues of UTAS is also there, some of our members are still being owed till now, all are these issues are there unresolved and a Minister will tell you that the federal government has met ASUU’s demand . It goes to show you that He (Nwajuba) doesn’t know what education is all about as a Minister
“The troubling problems we are having is that the real Minister of education is having health issues if not I believe he would have resolved this issues long ago. If you want to discuss anything about education go to the other Minister, Nwajuba doesn’t know anything about education, he is just a jolly good fellow.
“As respected bodies, we are giving NIREC and CAN from now till January end to intervene and prevail on the federal government. We didn’t go on strike last month because of these two bodies not because of Nwajuba, a Minister who talks any how”.
Recall that the suspended strike began in March 2020 over the non-payment of salaries of ASUU members who failed to enrol into the Federal Government’s IPPIS, a payroll software mandated for all public officials and some unmet agreements between ASUU and successive administrations. The union embarked on different strike actions since the agreement was signed in 2009.
ASUU later suspended the strike on 24 December 2020
