ASUU and the rest of us
By Halimat O. Shittu
POLITICS DIGEST- Since February 14, 2022, Nigerian university students have continued to stay at home, following an industrial action sanctioned by the famous Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over their many unmet demands. Although the union claimed that the strike is in the interest of the students and the future of government-owned universities, the industrial action has adversely affected the students emotionally and physically. The strike has continued to waste the time of the students who have other things to pursue aside from a university degree, especially as their inability to complete the academic program would continue to hinder the process of pursuing other dreams.
ASUU, a Nigerian union of university academic staff, was founded in 1978. The union is an offshoot of the Nigerian Association of University Teachers, NAUT, which was established in 1965. ASUU claims to be a union of intellectuals seeking not only the socio-political and economic welfare of its members but the entire good of Nigerians and Nigeria.
Over the years, the union has become notorious for embarking on strikes to press home their demands. They braved many administrations, including military regimes to declare strikes that lasted for many months until their demands are met. Under President Muhammad Buhari’s administration, the union has gone on strike for more than four times, from 2017 to date. So far, undergraduates have lost at least 13 months to strikes from their academic calendar. By implication, the current final year students in federal and state universities have been delayed for two years, making them spend longer than usual time to finish their studies.
Some of the demands of the university lecturers include the replacement of a salary payment system, Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) which is currently in use across the federation with another one developed by the academics: University Transparency, Accountability Solution (UTAS). Another demand by the union is the execution of the 2009 FGN/ASUU renegotiation agreement which included its members’ condition of service, the payment of the outstanding arrears of Earned Academic Allowance, EAA, the release of the agreed sum of money for revitalization of public universities, among others.
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The union claimed that the Federal Government rejected the UTAS proposed by the lecturers because, according to them, it was developed by Nigerians. ASUU frowned at the fact that the federal government subjected UTAS to a series of integrity tests, yet no such test was conducted on IPPIS. Hence, they believe that the test on UTAS indicates that Nigerians cannot solve their problem.
Beyond these hullabaloos, it is believed that impasses between the Federal Government and ASUU have produced a far-reaching or adverse effect on the students. By frequently embarking on strike actions, many consider ASUU to be selfish as they only consider the welfare of its members and not the students. The union has always been going on strike and with so many of their past demands met but there is still no improvement in the university system. The lecturers still trade sex for marks, they still sell their photocopied handouts and still collect bribes from students.
I see the strike as a ploy the union employs to exploit the students in getting what they want. Of course, many students would have no choice but to bear with the union as most of them can’t afford a private university. Although the wise ones among the students have engaged themselves in skilled jobs, it is emotionally draining that most of them have left their studies unaccomplished, especially for the final year students.
Worst still, getting a job in Nigeria is difficult and the prolonged ASUU strike would only make the situation worse. Many employers often prefer graduates between the ages of 23 to 27. The age limit is now posing as an impediment to many prospective graduates who are still in school. On the other hand, the strike affects most lecturers, too, as many of them are now working as a chauffeur for Bolts and Uber.
By and large, it appears that strike actions as the last resort for the university lectures have been yielding little or no results. I, therefore, want to suggest that the lecturers’ union employ another alternative dispute resolution that is much more efficient than a strike.
It is noteworthy that while the efforts put in place to end the strike were on, some individuals and the general public are also making frantic efforts to address the ASUU conundrum. A crowdfunding platform was initiated by a philanthropist and owner of Human Rights Radio, Ahmed Isah, with the view of ending the strike that has grounded academic activities in the nation’s public varsities. The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Odom Emmanuel, had also donated N50 million to the project. The effort was however rejected by the ASUU. A lawmaker in Cross Rivers, Hilary Bisong, had also donated N900,000 as a palliative to the striking lecturers at the University of Calabar. According to him, the lecturers deserved some support and care during the period. These are some impressive contributions by spirited individuals that would have gone a long way in solving some of the demands raised by the striking lecturers.
Halimat O. Shittu is a serving NYSC member in FCT