The immediate past President of ASUU, who is a senior lecturer at Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, Dr. Abdullahi Sule-Kano, told LEADERSHIP yesterday that the strike might linger for more than a year.
It would be recalled that the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, at the instance of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, had waded into the impasse between the union and the Federal Government over outstanding issues of improved funding of the university system, better pay package, university autonomy and academic freedom, retirement benchmark of 70 years for academic staff, among others, the agreement of which the government refused to sign on behalf of itself and state governments.
Oshiomhole's mediatory role in the crisis had led to a meeting, which ran into the late hours, between ASUU executives and the government team last Friday. The union was persuaded to convene a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to deliberate, with a view to calling off or at least suspending the strike so that both teams could return to the negotiation table.
The NEC meeting of ASUU, held at the University of Abuja on Wednesday, was deadlocked as the lecturers could not reach a consensus on whether to call ASUU members back to the classrooms or not. Consequently, the issue was thrown open to the various state chapters to cast their votes and make inputs as to the next step ASUU should follow.
ASUU President Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie yesterday told LEADERSHIP in Abuja that the recommendations from the state chapters would be made public today. A press conference scheduled in Imo State did not give an inkling about the possible outcome of the briefing as the president refused to let the cat out of the bag. All the recommendations were expected to have been forwarded to the ASUU president yesterday.
He said, "I don't want you to pre-empt what we are going to say tomorrow. If there is life, there is hope."
Dr. Sule-Kano in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP, described the current strike action as one of the most successful in the history of the union's struggle, explaining that in the past, the union usually began indefinite national strikes when it had just 55 of the branches subscribing to such action.
"But this time," he added, "it has 100 percent of its branches supporting the strike action".
When reminded of the fact that Enugu State University had backed out of the strike action, Sule-Kano said, "Even if 50 percent of the union branches go back to work, that cannot change anything. Let me tell you, this strike can last for over one year. Our colleagues were ready for what they called 'Ghana option'. If government cannot operate university system, let them close them down permanently".
The former president of the union maintained that there was no way the union could accept a situation whereby the government that budgeted N3 trillion for its 2009 year and paid political office-holders N1.2 trillion could give education only 1.7 percent of its budget.
Sule-Kano said members of the union could not be scared by that order, recalling that under "the draconian rule of IBB" university lecturers had their salaries stopped for six months and they survived it.
Commenting on the 40 percent salary increase, the former president explained that the salary issue was not within the context of the agreement the ASUU was talking about, describing the issue of salary increase as claimed by the government as crude.
"Our union was not talking about any salary increment. It is nothing but blackmail. They said we asked for 109 percent salary increase. Let them show the public the document we signed to that effect," he said.
Sule-Kano stated that all the union was saying was that there was an agreement which could bring about the establishment of a minimum benchmark for the operation of the universities in Nigeria and that agreement must be allowed to work.
The former president further disclosed that Nigerians would be shocked when they saw the list of all the people that were having their children studying abroad and the amount of money being spent on them, promising very strongly that the list would soon be made available to the Nigerian public.
Also speaking, the chairman of the Usman Danfodio University chapter of the union, Dr. Lawal Abubakar, said the strike was total at the university, adding that the institution's loyalty to the national body was never in doubt.
He said, "If government were truly representative of the people they should see it as a duty by granting all requests of the university lecturers, otherwise nobody should be blamed if the system eventually collapses."
However, from the University of Madiduguri ASUU branch, the situation is not as grave. The ASUU chairman, UNIMaid branch, Dr. Usman Abubakar, told our correspondent in the state that positive results should be expected from today's negotiations.
Abubakar disclosed to Leadership that the national body of the union had directed all branches to meet and come out with recommendations to be sent to them for deliberations, which the body would study and come out with the resolutions today.
According to him, the UNIMAID branch had already sent its recommendation to the national body, saying he was expecting positive result out of the negotiation.
When asked about the content of their recommendation from the UNIMAID chapter, Abubakar said, "I can't disclose it to you now, because it's like putting the cat before the horse. Wait for tomorrow when the national body would come out with its outcome. But I assure you that something positive will come out this week".
The University of Jos chapter has thrown its weight behind the suspension of the nationwide strike embarked upon by the association.
Chairman of the chapter, Dr. Timothy Namu, made this disclosure while speaking to LEADERSHIP in Jos yesterday.
He said ASUU was likely to suspend the strike in the next few days to last for two weeks to see whether the government was committed to the agreement reached.
According to him, they were waiting for the outcome of various congresses that were simultaneously going on in the country, adding that if the government did not show any commitment, ASUU would resume and continue the strike again.
From the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Chairman Gab Agu, said there was no clear direction on whether the strike would be suspended or not. He told our correspondent that he was not ready to comment on the issue, but to await today's outcome of the negotiation.
The Chairmen of Cross River University of Technology, (CRUTECH) and University of Calabar branches of ASUU, Dr. Matthew Nsing Ogar and Dr. Chike Ekeopara respectively, admitted that the branches held meetings but declined commenting on the outcome reached at the meetings.
Speaking with our correspondent, Ogar said, "We have communicated to the national president about our positions. He will make a statement tomorrow. For now it is not for public consumption. The national president will make a statement whether to call off the strike or not. Let's watch and listen for the outcome of the action of the National President, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie."
Ekeopara also told our correspondent, "I have briefed the branch and the decision of the union will be made known to you tomorrow. We didn't meet to take any decision. I just briefed them that there are communications or talks going on between our union and Federal Government, whatever the union's position is will be made known to the public tomorrow."
When our correspondent visited the two Universities, all offices were locked as staffers of other unions equally embarked on industrial action, alleging that the Federal Government had agreed with ASUU to call off the strike while they had been abandoned.
Meanwhile, the government and the leadership of Senior Staff Association of Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities were engaged in crucial meeting last night. The meeting was still on at press time.
By Stella Eze,Jos , Mahmoud Muhammad,Sokoto , Dauda Mbaya, Maiduguri, Achor Abimaje , Nnamdi Mbawike, Enugu, And Edem Edem, Calabar
Source: Leadership
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