There are strong indications that the four-month-old strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, may be called off this week.
This is coming on the heels of a solution-finding meeting today between President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the union.
According to a highly placed official in the Federal Ministry of Education, who did not want his name mentioned, plans have been concluded to get the striking lecturers return to classrooms.
Asked if the President would make new offers, aside from the N30bn for enhanced allowance and the N200bn to breach noticeable infrastructural gap in federal universities, the source said: “No legitimate effort will be spared,” to halt the embarrassing drift in the education sector.
“I’m upbeat that this strike will be called off this week. Nigerians are no longer on the side of ASUU and I’m sure the lecturers will consider this very seriously, side by side with the position of Mr. President at today’s meeting,” the source said.
The lecturers had declared an indefinite strike on July 1 to press home their demands for an enhanced pay and infrastructure overhaul.
They drew their strength from a 2009 agreement between the union and the Federal Government and a memorandum of understanding, MoU, signed in 2012.
Meanwhile, ASUU yesterday warned that threat of forceful reopening of the universities by the Federal Government would not end the present strike.
The union in a statement by the Secretary of the University of Ibadan chapter, Dr. Ayodeji Omole, cautioned President Jonathan to toe the path of honour by implementing the 2009 agreement reached with the union.
He maintained that the planned forceful re-opening would be the highest form of authoritarianism which would deepen the present crisis in the education sector.
The ASUU scribe added that the step would also portray the government as anti-democratic.
Omole said while the union welcome the invitation of ASUU for a meeting today, it would be unacceptable to members of the union if government failed to come out with a clear agenda for implementing the 2009 agreement.
He said: “The attention of our union is drawn to news report in some media alleging that the President will direct the re-opening of all universities with or without ASUU.
“We wish to state that while the President of the Federation has issued an invitation to the leaders of our union for dialogue, it will be unacceptable to our members if government fails to come out with a clear agenda for implementing the 2009 agreement.
“Authoritarian posturing has never solved and will not solve the impasse. We are calling on Mr. President to toe the path of honour and respect the 2009 agreement.”
The ASUU scribe insisted that any proposal not based on a clear acceptance of a framework for implementing the 2009 agreement but rather seek to impose a solution on the impasse would not solve the present crisis.
He called on President Jonathan to set good example and be guided by the principles of honouring agreements, justice and industrial harmony.
Omole said it was laughable that a government that publicised releasing N100bn has not even released a kobo.
He said ASUU is a body of intellectuals and stressed that members of the union were ready to pursue the revatilisation of public education to a logical conclusion, even with the stoppage of salaries.
Chairperson, University of Port Harcourt branch, Prof. Anthonia Okerengwo, also warned the Federal Government to desist from aggravating the ongoing strike.
He called on the Federal Government to discontinue the arm-twisting tactics being employed by its agents.
The union, in a statement, cautioned against blackmail, stressing that arm-twisting tactics would only deepen the crisis in the nation’s education sector.
It also advised the government to follow the path of honour in its quest to resolve the lingering strike.
While condemning any move to forcefully open the universities, the chairperson said that implementation of 2009 agreement and the 2012 MoU was the surest route to industrial harmony in the university system and the fastest approach to revitalising tertiary education.
The statement reads: “The Academic Staff Union of Universities has urged the Federal Government to follow the path of honour in its quest to resolve the lingering strike.
“This follows allegations in the press that the President intends to order the re-opening of universities from Monday, November 4, 2013, with or without ASUU.
“Arm-twisting has never worked as a dispute resolution strategy. It is unacceptable to the union that while the President has invited the union leadership for a dialogue, some overzealous aides to the President are clandestinely working to jeopardise the peace process. “Authoritarian approaches to resolving issues in dispute with the unions have never worked. Such tendencies will only deepen the crisis in education in Nigeria.
“The surest and shortest route to industrial harmony in the university system and the fastest approach to revitalising the university education is the implementation of 2009 agreement and the 2012 MOU.”
The Ebonyi State University chapter of the union commended President Jonathan for his readiness to meet with the union leaders today. It, however, urged him to implement the 2009 agreement to end the over four-month-old strike.
The Chairman, Prof. Ndubuisi Idenyi, in a statement in Abakaliki said the President’s quest to end the strike was a welcome development.
“It is, however, our earnest hope and prayer that the meeting of ASUU leaders with Mr. President will be a fruitful dialogue that would lead to a mutuallyacceptable, fair and farreaching solution predicated on the implementation of the 2009 Agreement; the 2012 MoU; and the recommendations of the Needs Assessment Report,” the statement said.
Idenyi advised the President not to impose any solution on the union, adding that the Federal Government should take steps to improve the nation’s educational sector.
“We are of the view that any proposal not based on a clear acceptance of a framework for implementing the 2009 agreement will, instead, seek to impose a solution to the current impasse and as such, will not be a solution to the present crisis.
“We, therefore, very respectfully call on Mr. President to muster the will to be guided by the principles of honouring agreements, principles of justice and the principles of industrial harmony, even as we wholeheartedly wish all concerned fruitful deliberations,” he said.
In a related development, the Ahmaddiyah Muslim Jama’at Nigeria yesterday accused the Federal Government of being hypocritical over the lingering strike.
Ahmadiyyah also kicked against the timing of the consultation meeting by the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference held in Lagos on Friday.
Speaking while honouring some journalists who were recently promoted in their organisations, the Amir Ammadiyyah Muslim Jama’at of Nigeria, Dr. Moshood Fashola, urged the Federal Government to honour the agreement made with the union.
He said it is characteristic of a hypocrite not to fulfil agreement.
The clergy said injustice, hypocrisy and some other self-created problems were the bane of the nation’s problems, urging both Muslim and Christians to always speak the truth to those in authority.
He said: “It is characteristic of a hypocrite to renege on the promise made. How can the Federal Government refuse to fulfil the agreement it willingly made with the Academic Staff Union of the Universities? These are signs of hypocrites.
“What kind of government do we have? They made agreement and could not fulfil it? It is a characteristic of an unbeliever?
Fashola also decried the slating of the ongoing consultation by the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference held in Lagos about 1:30p.m. last Friday without consideration to Muslims leaders who might want to observe their Jumaat prayers.
He added that any national conference insensitive to people’s beliefs and norms was bound to fail.
Fashola reiterated that the Boko Haram Islamic members were not Muslims, adding that it is clearly stated in the Holy Quran that Muslims should not destroy God’s creatures, even when provoked.
He, however, blamed the northern leaders for the insurgence, saying many people in the North had been neglected for a long period which made their youths vulnerable to violence orchestrated by enemies of the nation.
Fashola also took a swipe at the Muslim and Christian leaders who refused to say the truth to those in authority for material gains.
He added that people had abandoned God for their religious leaders who prioritised material gains over the scriptures.
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