Who takes the blame for the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU? That is the searing poser thrown up by emerging altercations between the presidency and ASUU.
President Buhari last week, warned ASUU that ‘enough is enough’ in the current strike that has shut down universities for about five months. He urged the union to reconsider the strike as it would have generational consequences on families, the educational system and the future development of the country.
But ASUU in reaction threw back the blame to the presidency. Its national president, Emmanuel Osodeke urged Nigerians to ask the government when it would attend to the demands of the union. He said “It will be a month on July 16, 2022 since they met with us. Nigerians should ask them when they will ask us to come and sign the report/agreement of the renegotiation meeting”.
Other chapters of the union have also reacted variously arguing that enough cannot be enough until the president moves to reposition the decaying university education system. In sum, ASUU holds the government responsible for the prolonged strike due to its inability to sign renegotiated agreements to end the strike.
The dispute centres largely on increasing government’s investment in the nation’s university infrastructure and payment of salaries through the recommended University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, among several other demands.
At one time, the presidency argued that the agreement was signed in 2009; years before it came into office and at another, it pleaded insufficiency of funds. Now they want public intervention. The impression one gets is that the government is helpless in the matter and that ASUU is impervious to reason. But this claim is not supported by facts emerging from negotiations between the union and the government
The union said it agreed on certain terms with the Briggs committee and is waiting for the government to consummate them. But in a statement, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige laboured to educate us on the difference between a proposal and an agreement as well as those on whose shoulders the duty to sign agreements should rest.
But after that lengthy academic presentation targeted largely at discrediting ASUU, Ngige ended up admitting that even the proposal from the Briggs committee is still undergoing some processes at the governmental level. What this meant in essence is that the government is yet to come up with an offer five months thereon. So on what basis do they now require ASUU to go back to lectures or the public to intervene?
When Buhari warned against the continued prolongation of the strike action, one began to wonder whether he was fully abreast of the current state of the matter. One had expected the president to have come clear on measures taken by his officials to ensure ASUU goes back to classes. There is no evidence of anything concrete. And nothing may come soon given the way Ngige spoke.
copyright@thenation