Between FG and ASUU: Who is telling Nigerians the truth?

 

 

By AKOR SYLVESTER-Abuja

 

 

To say that Nigerians have lost patience over the prolonged strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the country, is an understatement.

It is also worthy of note that the government approach to resolving incessant strikes in the country, including that of ASUU has not been yielding satisfactory results. The off and on state of industrial actions in our beloved country, is an indication that the governments at all levels, are yet to develop a lasting tactics to resolving industrial actions in the country. One wonders why negotiations and agreements between government and workers will always not see the light of the day. In the ongoing strike embarked upon by ASUU, Nigerians are beginning to ask questions that are begging for answers. Who is telling the truth between government and ASUU? Who amongst the parties does not want the strike to be called off? The government in many occasions has blamed ASUU on the unending strike, just as the ASUU has condemned government for what it described as nonchalant attitude to its plight.

Recently the minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, blamed the leadership of ASUU for the prolonged industrial action by the union, which has kept public universities under lock and key for more than three months.

 

Ngige, who spoke in an interview with Silverbird Television, described ASUU leadership’s attitude to the conciliation efforts as “uncooperative and anti-labour.”

 

The minister denied being responsible for the continued logjam and commended himself for the efforts made so far towards addressing the crisis.

 

He said he has successfully conciliated 1,683 industrial disputes since assumption of office in 2015 and has been taking extra measures beyond his statutory responsibilities, to forestall strike and ensure action is promptly suspended when workers unions make it inevitable.

 

Ngige also said the untiring efforts of his office towards a peaceful national industrial milieu, sleepless nights as a parent whose children are also in the public universities and who equally bear the brunt of ASUU strike, are being undermined by an erroneous impression by some Nigerians over his role as a conciliator, and by the “uncooperative, anti-labour attitude of ASUU leadership.”

 

The minister listed two major areas of disagreement as to the reasons for the unending industrial crisis between the union and the government.

 

According to Mr Ngige, the refusal of the union to join the newly constituted Nimi Briggs-led agreement renegotiation committee for the review of the defunct Jubril Munzali-led committee’s recommendations, and its alleged refusal to consider the suggestions by the National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) in order to secure approval for use, as the major issues of discord.

 

Aggrieved by what it termed imposition of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) on the universities for the payment of staff salaries, ASUU developed UTAS as an alternative. It said the peculiarities of the university system are not captured by IPPIS.

 

But NITDA, the government agency in charge of approving relevant technology before deployment, has refused to approve UTAS.

 

The agency in its earlier reports said UTAS only passed the user acceptability criteria but failed vulnerability and integrity tests.

 

He said: “Negotiation now is being made impossible by ASUU. For example, ASUU insists that NITDA should take UTAS that it developed and deploy it for payment in the universities whether it is good or bad, whether it failed the integrity and vulnerability test or not.

 

“And ASUU members know that fraud committed on payment platforms can run into billions. If a hacker adds zeros to hundreds, it becomes billions. NITDA brought out the report of its test on UTAS – that it passed the user acceptability but failed vulnerability and integrity tests- the two critical tests that prevent fraud”

 

The minister said he went further to speak to ASUU and NITDA to continue the test and see whether “they can make up the lapses and arrive at 100 per cent success because that is what NITDA insists on.”

 

The minister noted that NITDA said it cannot even approve UTAS at 99.9 per cent of vulnerability and integrity. “That it can’t take that risk on a payment system, that it can be hacked into.”

 

But ASUU has consistently accused NITDA of deliberately frustrating its efforts. It said the government agency was being vindictive over the union’s refusal to accept the professorial award for the minister of communications and digital economy, Ibrahim Pantami.

 

The minister debunked the allegation that his style of handling the crisis has been responsible for the delay in resolution.

 

He said: “So if you hear someone saying Ngige is responsible, it is wrong. I’m not the one that implements. I’m the conciliator. I conciliate so that there will be no more warfare and even in conciliation, once I apprehend, the parties go back to status quo ante, which means, you call off the strike.”

 

Though the minister did not say the government would sue the striking workers over the continued industrial action, he argued that in a situation like this, the law permits him to approach an industrial court for urgent intervention.

 

“However, when conciliation fails, the minister is under obligation by sections 9 and 14 of Trade Disputes Act, Cap T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria to transmit the results of the negotiation to the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP) or to National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN),” he said.

He said as a conciliator in the ongoing crisis, he has brought the stakeholders including the education and finance ministries and their agencies such as the National Universities Commission (NUC), IPPIS office, and office of the accountant general of the federation and the striking workers to the negotiation table.

 

The minister said at the end of every negotiation, we put down what everybody has agreed on in writing and add timelines for implementation.

 

He added: “But let me tell you. There is nothing new about the ASUU strike. It has been a recurrent decimal. In the last 20 years, ASUU has gone on strike, sixteen times. So, there is nothing new as such.

 

“What is new however is that I have done what Napoleon could not do. You can ask them, the ASUU leadership. I’m sure that in the innermost part of their hearts, they can’t sweep away my untiring efforts. I’m the only conciliator lately, who has conciliated and put timelines on agreements and pushed all the parties, the government side to implement and stick to the timelines. Such fidelity wasn’t there hitherto.

 

“Last year alone, based on the timelines I put on the 2020 agreement, they got N92.7 billion in terms of Revitalization and Earned Academic/Earned Allowances for the university system. I went out of the schedule of my office… to ensure these monies were paid.”

 

Speaking further, the

minister said as part of his efforts to ensure harmony and trust, he had in the past pleaded with the government on behalf of the workers’ unions that their salaries be paid for the period they were on strike.

 

He said the government had implemented the policy in 2020 when the striking lecturers refused to resume, but that he pleaded with the government to rescind its decision.

 

“Yes, I did it. I did the same for doctors and other health professionals operating under JOHESU. I promised in 2015 when the President appointed me that the era when agreements were left to gather dust was over and I have maintained it. I work even at odd hours, late night, at times far into morning hours, to ensure things work,” he said.

 

Ngige, who acknowledged bureaucracy in government, said he once suggested to ASUU to appoint a general secretary and an assistant who could be stationed in Abuja to pursue the statuses of agreements signed with different government agencies.

 

The minister said he regretted that the current ASUU strike is being prolonged “because the university teachers have made negotiation difficult.”

 

On strike by other unions,  the minister, however, failed to comment on the strike by other categories of university workers especially the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and other Allied Educational Institutions (NASU) which just announced the extension of its one-month-old strike by another month.

 

Asked on resolution efforts, he said; iIn March, the government constituted the Nimi Briggs-led committee to address the recommendations of the Munzalli Jibril-led committee. But ASUU kicked against it, insisting on the adoption of the draft document produced by the Jibril-led committee in May 2021.

 

Ngige had said it was impossible for the government to work with the draft produced by the Jibril-led committee. He said the recommendations were not signed by anyone.

 

On its part, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), challenged the Federal Government to respect the Collective Bargaining Agreements entered into with the ASUU) and other unions in the tertiary institutions in the country.

 

On his part, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, called on government to respect and honour agreement signed with ASUU. He made the call in the 2022 Easter message to workers and Nigerians with the theme, “Hope That Never Dies,”  in Abuja.

 

According to him, millions of Nigerian university students, especially those attending public citadels of higher learning, are celebrating Easter outside the precincts of their campuses

 

“This is not by reason of choice but because our country cut short their hopes.

 

“The inability of the government to deliver on commitments it reached with our university workers, both academic and non-academic, has ensured that the streak of instability battering and buffeting our tertiary education system remains unresolved.

 

“It is even most tragic that majority of the affected students are children from poor homes whose parents cannot afford to pay the outrageous fees charged by private universities.

 

“Tragically, while students from poor homes are held back by frustrating cycles of strike actions, the children of the rich and powerful are in private campuses learning.

 

“There is no sadder premiere of the Social Apartheid in our society than the intermittent and protracted strike actions in our public universities,’’ he said.

 

He, therefore, added “we demand respect for Collective Bargaining Agreements signed with unions in our tertiary institutions and other sectors.”

 

Wabba also noted that many workers in Nigeria are yet to enjoy the national minimum wage almost four years after it was signed into law, noting that Cross River, Taraba and Zamfara are the states yet to implement the national minimum wage.

 

The NLC president also said that Nigerian pensioners are not spared as many of them are denied their gratuity and pension arrears.

 

He said, tragically, while wages remain the same and sometimes are unpaid, the cost of living keeps skyrocketing. Inflation has eroded the purchasing power of workers as the Naira continued to lose its value.

 

According to him, the congress salutes the indefatigable spirit of Nigerian workers, while urging them to keep believing that a new Nigeria that is workers- and people-friendly is possible in our life time.

 

“This Easter, we ask government and private sector employers to meet workers halfway and put a glow to our hopes.

 

“States yet to fully implement the national minimum wage should do so immediately. We demand immediate clearing of pension arrears owed our retirees.

 

“Employers should deliver on prompt salary payment, periodic salary increment, promotion, regular training, access to social housing, affordable healthcare, paid vacation cum sick leave and compensation for injury at work.

 

“Congress pledges to continue to deploy labour standards to fight for and defend the rights and interests of Nigerian workers.

 

“Workers should also be conscious that we all have a collective duty in this regards,’’ he said.

 

Also in pre-May Day activities, NLC issued a 21-day ultimatum after which it would commence on a three-day nationwide warning strike if the federal government continues to ignore the demands of the (ASUU).

 

The congress also said it would hold a national protest within the 21-day ultimatum issued to the federal government.

 

The NLC President, Ayubba Wabba, said the 21-day ultimatum would be for the federal government to meet the demands of ASUU and the three – university-based unions: Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

 

The NLC president said: “Within the span of the subsisting 21-day ultimatum given by Congress, the NLC will hold national protests against the current strike action affecting students of Nigeria’s public universities and occasioned by government’s failure to honour agreement reached with trade unions in our universities.

 

“The protest is to draw the attention of government to the inherent catastrophe in the emerging culture of social apartheid in our society especially as marked by prolonged lockout of students from working class and poor homes from our public universities while the children of the rich continue their academic pursuits uninterrupted.

 

If at the end of the national protest and the 21-day ultimatum, the federal government still fails to resolve the industrial crises in Nigerian universities, the Congress would be left with no other option than to embark on a 3-day nationwide warning strike action in solidarity with our affiliates in the universities and with Nigerian students whose future and wellbeing are being robbed.”

 

ASUU had on February 14,2022, announced a four-week roll-over strike following the inability of the union and the federal government to reach a common ground on the demands of university lecturers.

 

Some of ASUU’s demands include the release of revitalisation funds for universities, implementation of the re-negotiated 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement and the release of earned allowances for university lecturers.

 

Others are deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for the payment of salaries and allowances of university lecturers.

 

Following the expiration of the initial four weeks of the warning strike, ASUU went ahead to declare another eight weeks strike, saying it was giving the government more time to meet its demands.

Now that the two elephants refused to end their fight, the grasses will continue to suffer. Nigerians would like to know amongst ASUU and FG who is telling the truth. Would our students continue to stay at home? Only federal government and ASUU will tell.