From left, Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu; Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige and ASUU president, Biodun Ogunyemi...CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
FOLLOWING the declaration of four-week warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday, leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened nationwide protests.
Immediately after the strike announcement by ASUU, national president of NANS, Sunday Asefon, led scores of students to protest against the strike and blocked the entrance gate to Phase I, Federal Secretariat Complex, housing the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, among others.
It took the intervention of a police officer, A. H. Abdullahi, to pacify the students with the promise to arrange a meeting for them with the minister. A statement signed by the NANS National Vice President (Special Duties), Odiahi Thomas Ikhine, made available to newsmen during the protest, read: “ASUU has, over the years, displayed a high level of disregard for students and their leadership.
“The union has continually seen students as object for selfish negotiation, blackmail etc. In the classroom, its members are monsters known for oppressing and extorting innocent students and when its members are disciplined for such erring behaviour by constituted authorities, they react by looking for something to pick on to blackmail and subdue the authorities.
“Our call is that ASUU as a union should look for alternative way of sorting things out with their employer and stop seeing students as object of blackmail or a tool for negotiation.
“On the above note, NANS is calling on ASUU and the Federal Government to urgently look for a way to sort out whatever issue they may have, as Nigerian students will no longer be used as an object of negotiation or settlement of disputes.
“All union presidents, joint campus committees, zonal structures of NANS are by this notice mandated to begin to mobilise Nigerian students to barricade all major highways in the country, as well as prepare to occupy all academic staff quarters all over the country within 48 hours, starting from Monday, February 14, 2022.
“We urge all students not to vacate the school halls of residence, as well as remain calm as further directive will be given by the NEC of NANS.”
The union also has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu and Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, for failing to resolve the impasse between ASUU and Federal Government.
While declaring the industrial action in Lagos, at a media briefing, ASUU president, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, said after the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the union had met for two days at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), settling for the strike option was a painful decision.
“But we have to act this way, considering that the government has failed to fulfill the MoA it signed with us since December 23, 2020,” Osodeke stressed.
He said if nothing happens from the government’s side at the expiration of the ultimatum, the union would take a next option, which he refused to mention.
He said ASUU would not relent in its struggle to make Nigeria’s public university education a nation’s pride and a force to reckon with globally.
The union also condemned the professorship appointment of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isah Pantami, by the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), declaring the appointment as illegal.
Professor Osodeke said ASUU had investigated Pantami’s appointment as a professor of Cyber Security by FUTO and found out he is not qualified for the highest academic cadre.
He said it is alien to university system anywhere globally to award a professorship to somebody who is outside the academics and that Pantami’s case could not be an exception.
He said in view of this, ASUU NEC had directed all members and branches nationwide not to recognise, accord or treat Pantami as a professor of Cyber Security. The union also accused the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of what it called overbearing power on admission and regulation of academic activities in Nigeria’s university system.
“So, JAMB should desist from overstepping its original mandate and allow the universities to decide on admission policies and processes,” he stressed.
Reacting to the strike, the Federal Government described it as unwarranted, adding that no notice was received from the leadership of the union, either verbally or in writing.
The Minister of Education, while reacting to the strike said he was not informed that the union would go on strike.
Adamu, who spoke through the Director, Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Mr Ben Bem Goong, said the Federal Government had been implementing the agreements reached with the union.
