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ASUU  will continue with strike until FG  honours agreements with union – Don

ASUU
By Edeki Igafe
Warri (Delta), March 25, 2020 (NAN) The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says it will not suspend its ongoing strike until the Federal Government honours its agreements with the union.
Dr Ezekiel Agbalagba, the ASUU  branch chairman, Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, Delta said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Warri on Wednesday.
Agbalagba said that the university body had series of outstanding agreements with the government which had not been honoured.
Recall that ASUU had on Monday directed its members to down tools and embark on an indefinite strike.
ASUU had on March 9, 2020 declared a warning strike over the stoppage of the salaries of members of the union for refusing to enroll in the Integrated Personal Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) platform.
The leadership of the union also said that the Federal Government had failed to address the outstanding issues raised at the meeting it had with government representatives in 2019.
“We are not moved. There is total compliance to the strike order by ASUU in FUPRE.
“The strike is going to be indefinite until government does the needful.
“Government signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ASUU and has refused to honour the agreement. It is sad,” he said.
The ASUU chairman added that only two of its members in FUPRE had enrolled in IPPIS as directed by the Federal Government.
“They were shortchanged in their salaries,” he said. (NAN)
EDI/OSA
========
Edited by Shittu Obassa/Emmanuel Yashim
General news

IPPIS: ASUU suspends proposed strike

IPPIS: ASUU suspends proposed strike

ASUU
By Tosin Kolade

Abuja, Oct. 31, 2019 (NAN) The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its proposed strike over Federal Government’s directive to enroll its members into the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that when President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2020 budget proposal before lawmakers on Oct. 8, 2019, he vowed that Federal Government Employees not captured on the IPPIS platform by 31st Oct. 2019 would no longer be receiving their salaries.

ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, in a phone interview, noted that the union had decided to maintain status quo, pending further meetings.

ASUU had at different fora rejected the deadline, stating that universities operated differently from the civil service and should, therefore, not be seen as appendages of ministries, departments and agencies of government.

“What we have been saying is that the reaction of our members will depend on what happens in the government. Our members will meet at the appropriate time to take appropriate decision.

“The Senate has intervened in the matter and we are engaging the Senate, the Senate has appealed to us for now, When they pay other workers, they pay them also.”

According to him, the union is proposing another template which would factor in the peculiarities of the universities and promote their interest.

“The point we are making is that we have visited the Senate President, told him that there is an alternative to IPPIS, the IPPIS as we see it, will not promote the interest of the university, there is no university or country in the world where the payment of university workers is centralised with the government.”

On the World University ranking, Ogunyemi stressed that enrolling its members would affect Nigeria’s status, and discourage visiting lecturers come into the system.

“IPPIS will affect our ranking, because now scholars from different parts of the world will not be encouraged to come to Nigeria.

“Imagine somebody come for short six months and because of IPPIS he is not paid from three to four months, whereas, if they are domesticated in the universities, ASUU will pay them.

“Any university can attract scholars from any part of the world and you do not expect scholars to come from India, China, Australia, America or UK and be coming into Abuja to enroll in IPPIS.

“It is ridiculous, and that is what the autonomy means, that universities should govern their personnel, and their pay role system.

“We are saying it is not safe, we are going to become a laughing stock among committee of universities.

“In Ghana, there is something like IPPIS, but universities are not part of it. There is nowhere in the world that payroll is centralised and managed by consultants.”

He, however, noted that what the union wanted was a “Governing Council’ that would govern and manage the payroll of ASUU members.

“If government does that, it is the council that the government will hold responsible, that is what the law says, and where a council is found to be corrupt, or incompetent, that council should be dissolved and another council should be put in place.

“Our proposal is that there should be a mechanism that will enable the government to monitor the payroll system and the personnel. At the appropriate time, we will release it to the Nigerian public.

“The mechanism, when we centralise the payroll system of academics in Nigeria, you are taking a risk, cyber criminals can break into it at any time.

“There is nothing you put on the internet that cannot be hacked and that is not accessible in any part of the world.”

He stressed that the IPPIS will erode autonomy of the union, noting that the universities are unique environment, and are called “universal cities, because they are universal market places of ideas.” (NAN)

TAK/WOJ

Edited by Wale Ojetimi
===

Metro

ASUU gets faction, Ngige confirms receipt of new application

ASUU gets faction, Ngige confirms receipt of new application

Faction
By Tosin Kolade

Abuja, Oct. 7, 2019 (NAN) The Ministry of labour and Employment, has confirmed receipt of application for the registration of a new University Union, Congress of University Academics (CONUA), to be formed out of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Dr Chris Ngige, the Minister, in a telephone interview on Sunday, said that the ministry had in April received the application from CONUA to be registered as a new union in the university.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the application was awaiting deliberation as stipulated by Trade Union laws.

According to him, a committee will be set up to define modalities before it will be approved.

“They have not been registered yet. Their application is in the ministry. It has not been treated.

“We are still looking at their application. I asked a committee to look into it, when we look at the committee’s report, we will know what to do.

“They submitted it even before I left office initially, they submitted the application in April,” he said.

On whether CONUA would not duplicate the functions of ASUU, Ngige said that would be the duty of a committee set up on the matter to reveal.

The National Coordinator of CONUA, Mr Niyi Ismaheel, said on Sunday in Abuja that CONUA had a sole purpose of redefining unionism and restore peace and stability in the universities in Nigeria.

NAN recalls that Ismaheel, while addressing journalists at the end of its first National Stakeholders’ Forum at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU Ile-Ife, said the union was formed with the goal to formulate a new approach of engagement in addressing the welfare of its members.

According to him, the union will help put to an end unnecessary delays in the academic calendar of Nigerian students, following frequent strikes.

“The Union, which started in OAU now has Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Federal University, Lokoja and Kwara State University, Molete as members.

“The union is putting necessary documentations in place for official recognition by the university management and the government,” he said.

As at the time of filling this report, ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi had not responded to calls placed to his phones. (NAN)

TAK/ECN/AFA
edited by Emmanuel Nwoye/Felix Ajide
===============

Metro

ASUU wants FG’s visitation panel to halt crises in Universities

 

Panel
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, Sept. 21, 2019 (NAN) Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, President, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has called on the Federal Government to send a visitation panel to universities to douse tension and prevent further breakdown of industrial relations in campuses.

 

Ogunyemi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday that this was necessary following continued reports of intimidation and harassment of some of its members in some universities in the country.

 

He said that the union was worried about actions of some vice chancellors to suppress the union’s activities in campuses, saying such visitation panel would promote industrial harmony.

 

“Some vice chancellors are actually mismanaging their system, we have written to complain about them and when you see crisis coming from the school, for us in ASUU, it is not unexpected.

 

“That doesn’t augur well for good governance, and that is why we continue to prevail on the government to look into our petition against some Vice Chancellors and address the issue we raised.

 

“We have many of these cases coming from some of these campuses, and that is why we are calling on the government, anytime we have the opportunity to douse tension and prevent further decline or breakdown of industrial relations in these campuses,” he said.

 

NAN reports that within the last few months, there have been reports of dismissal of some ASUU members in some universities, while some Vice Chancellors proscribed union’s activities.

 

Ogunyemi said the union was worried about the non-inclusion of the university workers’ allowances into the 2019 budget, but expressed optimism that it would be fully paid in the 2020 budget.

 

“As for the aspect that has to do with payment of our allowances and so on, we are still tracking them, well, they paid part of the entitlement, but we expect them to have mainstreamed the balance into the 2019 budget, that did not happen.

 

“We are only hoping that that the chance will not be missed in 2020, that is why we want to engage the government.’’

 

The president called on the government to resolve the issue of unpaid arrears of shortfall in salaries in universities that have been verified under the presidential initiative, on continuous auditing.

 

On the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, he urged the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, to intervene and call for a renegotiation of the agreement.

 

He said the issues for renegotiation are non-implementation of components of the 2017 memorandum of action, non-release of over N1 trillion arrears or revitalisation fund owed public universities from 2014 to 2018.

 

“As things stand, we have issues; because the negotiation has been stalled, but we are engaging with Government, hoping that the minister intervene in the matter.

 

“We have issues with the government team that is negotiating with us, we have written to the minister about  our complaints, hoping that in no time, he will intervene in the matter and our renegotiation will come back fully and be completed speedily,“he said. (NAN)
TAK/JPE/AFA
==========
Edited by Joseph Edeh/Felix Ajide

 

Metro

Kidnapping: ASUU wants FG to close gap between rich, poor

Kidnapping: ASUU wants FG to close gap between rich, poor

Kidnap
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, Sept. 20, 2019 (NAN) Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, the President of  Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has called on the Federal Government to close the gap between the rich and the poor to reduce the high rate of insecurity.

Ogunyemi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that continued kidnapping of its members was worrisome, adding that this had led to apprehension on the campuses.

Gideon Okedayo, a professor in the Department of Mathematical Science, Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State, was kidnapped by gunmen recently and later died in captivity.

Okedayo and his driver were kidnapped on their way to Igara in Edo  but the driver was later released after which he reported to the police.

According to Ogunyemi, ASUU has written to express its worries, coming out from its 41st National Executive Committee meeting as it affects its members specifically.

“It has led to a general feeling of insecurity on many campuses; recently, we had one of our colleagues abducted and eventually killed; that was a professor of Mathematics from Ondo State University of Science and Technology.

“ASUU believes that you cannot get the problem resolved until and unless we address the socioeconomic problems in the country.

“Our belief is that the gap between the rich and the poor has continued to expand and it’s almost coming to a point whereby the rich will not be able to sleep, when the poor are hungry, because they say a hungry man is an angry man.

“We have seen people travelling on commercial vehicles and they were waylaid. That is to say that if that happens, it could be anybody,’’ he said.

Ogunyemi urged all tiers of government to take a comprehensive look at the general social economic problems bedevilling the country.

He said the union had called for a socialist democracy where resources would be distributed.

According to him, there is a need for a new model of development that is people-oriented which also ensures social economic justice.

“What we have in the country today is chronic capitalism and in which case, you can have everything while others have nothing, and that doesn’t work for any society.

“What we have in this country now is injustice in all spheres of life, education, health, housing and transportation have been priced out of the reach of the poor and can hardly be afforded.

“Until we are prepared to drop this model of development that does not allow for popular participation in the ownership and control of the means and production of wealth distribution, we cannot have lasting peace,” he said. (NAN)
TAK/NNO/JCE
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Edited by Nick Nicholas/Chukwudi Ekezie

Metro

Non-teaching university workers begin 5-day warning strike Monday

 

Strike
By Tosin Kolade

Abuja, Aug. 16, 2019 (NAN) Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) will begin a five-day warning strike from Monday, August 19, following alleged delay of the Federal Government in addressing their grievances.

Among the contentious areas included,  Earned Allowances which the non teaching staff unions claimed that they were shortchanged in the sharing formula.

They said that out of the N23 billion released to the four unions in the university, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) allegedly took over about eighty per cent of the money, leaving only twenty per cent for the three unions.

They also lamented the inability of  government to obey court judgment, especially the judgment of the Industrial Court in 2016 that directed government to reinstate sacked workers of Staff Schools, which had not been complied with and the re-negotiation of the 2009 agreement.

The National Public Relations Officer of SSANU, Mr Salaam Abdussobur in a statement on Friday, said the one week strike would commence on Monday.

He said: “Based on  poor response from the federal government, it is inevitable that a one week strike action shall be held as from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd August. This is following the expiration of the 14 days ultimatum given to the Federal Government.

“We met with  officials of the Federal Ministry of Education led by the Permanent Secretary last week. While the meeting appeared successful on its face value, the resolutions are yet to be backed up by any correspondence or digest as agreed at the meeting

“This is not the first time that meetings would  be held and we will take them by their words only to be disappointed by their actions.

“Our members, being our principals, have contended that for all decisions reached with Government, there must be a level of corresponding actions that show their sincerity and commitment to those decisions. If the actions do not correspond, we must continue with our agitations.

“So, a five day warning, being part of the activities lined up in our agitations, have been resolved to proceed between 19th to  23rd.

“After the warning strike, another review shall be made which will determine the way forward,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising NASU and SSANU had issued a 14-Day Ultimatum to the federal government last week to either address their grievances or they would  embark on total and indefinite strike.

It would be recalled that the two unions in a circular to all the branches after the JAC meeting in Abuja, said that at the expiration of the 14-days ultimatum, if the federal government failed to address all their grievances, they would be left with no other option than withdrawing their services.

In the circular to all their branches with the title “Notice of Industrial Action”, which was signed by the Chairman of JAC and President of SSANU,  Mr Samson Ugwoke and the General Secretary of NASU, Mr Peters Adeyemi, the two unions lamented the delay in obeying court judgment.

The circular read:  “This is to inform you that the Joint Action Committee, JAC of NASU and SSANU met today, Thursday 1st August, 2019, to consider the issues which led to the nationwide protest in our various branches, viz, Payment of Earned Allowances, University Staff Schools matter, Renegotiation of 2009 FGN/Unions Agreement among others.

“After extensive deliberations, JAC further observed that: No date has been rescheduled by the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Senator Ahmed Lawan for the meeting with the national leadership of JAC.

“The meeting earlier scheduled by the Federal Ministry of Education with the leadership of JAC national has been rescheduled for Wednesday, August 7, 2019 with no reason(s) stated.

“From the foregoing, JAC national has resolved as follows:  that a 14-Day ultimatum of Industrial action be given to the federal government of Nigeria to address the pending issues with effect from Monday, 5th August, 2019.

“ During the period of the ultimatum, all branches are hereby directed to carry out peaceful protest on Tuesday, 6th August, 2019 and Thursday, 15th August,2019 respectively.

“At the expiration of the 14-days ultimatum, Sunday 18th August 2019, without any positive response from the Federal Government of Nigeria, members shall proceed on a 5-day warning strike in all branches from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd August, 2019, inclusive.

“You are therefore directed to properly mobilise our members for this action. All defaulting branches shall be sanctioned accordingly,”  it said.

After the threat to proceed on strike, the senate president, organised a meeting with the unions to resolve the contentious issues, but the meeting could not hold.

The date scheduled coincided with the day members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria had embarked on a protest for the release of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

Though, leaders of the union waited for the senate president for a rescheduled meeting in Abuja for many days, no information was given to them on that. (NAN)

TAK/CHOM/AFA
=============

Edited by Chioma Ugboma/Felix Ajide

 

Education

ASUU official urges FG to respect agreements

NAN-H-76
Agreements
By Awayi Kuje
Nasarawa (Nasarawa State), Sept. 22, 2017 (NAN) The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) expects the Federal Government to respect the agreement reached with it, an official of the union said on Friday in Keffi.
Dr Nghargbu K’tso, ASUU Branch Chairman, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that respecting the agreement was crucial.
He said this would help to avert disrupting the process currently in place regarding negotiations between government and the union.
“My call on the Federal Government is for it to respect the agreement reached. Let it be responsive to Nigerians and improve on the standard of education in the country,” he said.
The ASUU branch chairman also called on students to take their studies very seriously.
“Let students come back to school and work hard and enjoy the result of our struggle,” he said.
NAN reports that Academic and commercial activities have resumed fully at the University, after ASUU suspended its five-week strike.
Lecturers were seen in their offices, while business centres were open for commercial activities.
Also, some lecturers were busy preparing their lecture notes while some students were seen in groups exchanging pleasantries.(NAN)
AKW/AOM/OLAL
==============
(Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed and Olawale Alabi)

Education

ASUU strike paralyses activities at Nasarawa State varsity

ASUU strike paralyses activities at Nasarawa State varsity

NAN-HG-10
Strike
By Awayi Kuje
Keffi (Nasarawa State), Aug. 18, 2017 (NAN) The ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has paralysed academic and commercial activities at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the university’s chapter of ASUU has also joined the nationwide strike.

NAN also reports on Friday that most of the business centres at the institution remained closed to customers following the strike.

NAN recalls that on Aug.14, ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, declared a “total, comprehensive and indefinite’’ nationwide strike after a consultation with members at an emergency NEC meeting held on Saturday, Aug. 12.

Dr Nghargbu K’tso, the ASUU branch Chairman of NSUK, told NAN that: “We lecturers in Nasarawa State University, Keffi, have joined the strike since Monday and we are saying `no going back on the strike’.

“We are complying with ASUU national leadership directive 100 per cent in the interest of the education sector and for the overall development of the country.”

K’tso added that adequate funding of universities would discourage people from studying abroad by addressing the problems of infrastructural decay, research development and boost the nation’s revenue base.

He therefore urged the Federal Government to meet the demands of the union, saying it is in the interest of the country’s education sector.

The chairman also urged students, parents and the public to understand that the strike was not for mischief but in the interest of the students and for the overall development of the education sector.

The lecturers are canvassing for the full implementation of the 2009 agreement and 2013 MoU to address funding gaps for the revitalisation of public universities and earned academic allowances.

Other demands include registration of Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company (NUPEMCO), University staff school, fractionalisation and non-payment of salaries, among others. (NAN)
AKW/OSA/MST
Edited by Shittu Obassa/Muhammad Suleiman Tola