Universities, federal and state, are in for another wandering in the wilderness, having been grounded on Monday as lecturers began an indefinite strike over the failure of the Federal Government to sign an agreement reached between them and Abuja's representatives.
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Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) President, Ukachukwu Awuzie, said reports confirmed that all members complied.
He recalled in a telephone interview that it took two and a half years for the government team, led by industrialist Gamaliel Onosode, and the ASUU to reach a fresh agreement, which the ASUU has signed but is being ignored by the government.
He accused the government of pushing the union to the wall and into a strike, despite the 30 months of negotiation and another six months' wait for Abuja to sign and implement the pact.
Lecturers at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) joined the strike, as well as those of the Lagos State University (LASU), where candidates for the post University Matriculation Examination (post UME) were not allowed to enter the campus.
UNILAG lecturer and ASUU South West Co-ordinator, Yomi Akinyeye, said member-universities have no option than to fall into line.
The message got to Senators, who slammed President Umaru Yar'Adua for failing to implement agreements the government has with the ASUU.
Senate Spokesman, Ayogu Eze, said it is proper and responsible that such pacts should be honoured if they have been signed.
"The government may not have all the resources," he stressed, "but it can say 'we will give you this tomorrow; next tomorrow we give you this, one week after we give you this.'"
He urged the government to call the lecturers to a roundtable and honour any agreement already signed, because this is a government that is committed to due process and the rule of law.
"Due process is when you reach an agreement, you follow the agreement; when you make a promise, you follow (up on) your promise.
"Our take in the Senate is that the educational sector is so crucial to the foundation of this country that we cannot toy with it and we want to urge the lecturers to exercise some restraint once more while we talk to the executive to find a way to meet their aspirations based on the resources available to it."
Awuzie recounted that the government and the ASUU negotiating teams searched for a minimum point from which the university system could reverse the brain drain and ensure a large pool of scholars who would help to reposition Nigeria.
He maintained that Nigerian universities need urgent intervention from the government to fulfill their potential, stressing that the agreement, if implemented, could transform them into some of the best in the world, and facilitate the country becoming a leading economy in the world.
He canvassed that education should continue to be funded by the treasury because of its importance to national development.
Before the telephone interview, Awuzie had told a press conference in Akure that four major issues negotiated by the government and the ASUU included sufficient funding of university education, lecturers' condition of service, university autonomy, and greater accessibility to university education.
"The two teams agreed that, to begin the process of repositioning the university system as envisaged, a required minimum of funds should be provided for public universities, federal and state, without compromising the goals and integrity of universities."
He said the negotiating teams agreed that if Nigeria is to get where it ought to be in world education ranking, a minimum 26 per cent of annual federal and state budgets should be allocated to education.
He also disclosed that the teams agreed on and proposed an amendment to Education Tax Fund Act to make it an effective intervention to rehabilitate, restore, and reposition the tertiary institutions in order to develop a knowledge-based society.
"We arrived at an agreement on conditions of service that could motivate scholars sufficiently to stay in our country and teach, do research and community service, assuming that a good degree of patriotism would make up for the differences that might obtain in African countries that raid Nigeria for academics."
Awuzie said the failure of Abuja to sign the agreement has resulted in the loss of over 20,000 lecturers who have relocated to other Africa countries and Europe for greener pastures.
"We keep hearing of actions that are entirely foreign to the collective bargaining process; the government setting up a Technical Committee on an agreement without reference to the negotiating team, a Ministerial Committee set up with terms of reference that would entirely nullify the essence of the negotiated agreement.
"Our members have come to the conclusion that over two and a half years of patience is enough. They feel betrayed, duped, and do not want to suffer any more psychological or moral trauma."
Members of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) joined the strike at the University of Ibadan (UI).
The NASU said its own would last for seven days for now; but that of the ASUU is "total and indefinite," insisted local ASUU Chairman, Ademola Aremu, who recalled that the lecturers staged a warning strike about a month ago to sensitise both Abuja and the public.
Second semester examination could not begin on Monday as scheduled.
Aremu explained that there ''is nothing new in the agitation of the ASUU aside the request for the signing of the agreement it reached with the government as far back as last year, and until the government signs it, the strike will continue.
"Painful as it is, there is nothing we can do to avert it as the demands contained in the agreement are for the future of university education in the country."
Members of the NASU were more confrontational, as they prevented vehicles from entering or leaving the UI campus, at which entrance they spread mats.
However, UI chapter NASU Chairman, Olusola Fatoki, denied that his colleagues blockaded the roads, arguing that they spread mats at the gate to pray to God to touch the hearts of the people in power in Abuja.
"Prayer can be offered anywhere, and this is an abnormal situation which calls for an abnormal approach. That is why our decision to pray on the road should not be seen as out of place.
"We are having a government that has remained insensitive and irresponsive, and we believe that it is only prayer that can change its heart of stone," he added.
Fatoki explained that the NASU has no problem with UI authorities as its demands could only be met by the government.
"There is nothing anyone can do, it is a national matter."
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UI Public Relations Officer, Adejoke Akinpelu, lamented that the academic calendar will be adversely affected, and ''we can only hope that the government would accede to the (unions') requests as soon as possible.''
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