The leadership of Non Academic Staff Unions across federal universities on Wednesday reiterated its opposition against hike in tuition fees as part of efforts aimed at mitigating against inadequate funding of education in Nigeria.
The unions which threatened to withdraw services as from Monday, 11th September, 2017, due to Federal Government’s default in the implementation of series of agreements signed by the parties since 2009.
The notice for a total and indefinite nationwide strike was issued at the press briefing held by the Non Academic Staff Unions (NASU); Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) under the aegis of Joint Action Committee (JAC) in Abuja.
Samson Ugwoke, SSANU President argued that public education should be free and not be put at par with private education.
“We believe we must differentiate between federal and private schools. Education remains the basic rights of Nigerians including water and other social amenities. So we don’t believe in excessive school fees.
“That is why UNESCO set the 26 percent of annual budget should be set aside for education. That is what we are demanding. Remember it’s the same parents asking for the national minimum wage and most of them are being paid half salaries, Ugokwe argued.
He noted that current labour crisis in the nation’s universities results from breach of implementation of FGN/University Non Teaching Staff Unions Agreements of 2009 and a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the parties in January 2017.
The Committee which accused administrators of federal universities of corruption, called for implementation of the report of the Visitation Panel report of all the federal universities which indicted most of the Vice Chancellors.
He maintained that Government is aware of those to be prosecuted and recover all the funds released to the universities from, adding that most of them during the five year tenure acquired estates and other fixed assets at the expense of the institutions.
According to the unions leaders, the Visitation Panel reports conducted every five years captured issues relating to general administration, finances, academic standards, educational facilities, relationship between universities and host communities, student-staff population, among others.
He alleged that previous administrations have failed to implement the reports of the Visitation Panel.
“Corruption has taken its toll in the universities system, while the infratr and facilities are nothing to write home about. While JAC acknowledges and is supportive of the Federal Government’s fight against corruption, we believe that there is more to be done to ensure that individuals found culpable should be dealt with according to the law, while whistle blowers should be protected.
“For all these malaise and others, we have cried out to no avail. The welfare of our members have been neglected. Allowances which were supposed to be ingrained into our salaries have accrued, accumulating to arrears going into years. Our members are greatly frustrated. This had led to provocation on the developments,” the JAC chairman said.
Other contentious issues include: “payment of earned allowances to non teaching members of staff in universities and inter-university centres. A review of the governance system in our universities. The present faulty governance system is what accounts for the dilemma which our universities presently find themselves.
“For example, the usurpation of non teaching staff functions by their teaching staff counterparts, thereby distracting from their (teaching staff) primary assignment of teaching and research. Another is the faulty and skewed constitution of membership of university governing councils which have led to poor decision making and poor administration of the universities with the attendant result of deterioration of standards and the quality.
“Increased funding of our universities in line with UNESCO standards, improvement of infrastructure in our universities, the responsibility of funding the capital and recurrent costs of university staff schools, implementation of CONTISS 14 and 15 for Technologists as well as payment of salary shortfalls being owned, implementation of the National Industrial Court Judgement on University staff schools, registration of NUPEMCO.
According to him, during the strike period, there shall be no provision of services, no matter how skeletal. Concessions shall not be granted while all our members are to stay at home till further notice, until further notice by the Joint Action Committee through their respective Presidents.
The union said it is essential for government to monitor the funds that is being released to the university.
“It is not about releasing money but let it be used for the purpose it was released for whether it is government fund or internal generated revenue, government knows those that control funds in the University.
“In 2015, the National Salaries Income and wages commission acting on behalf of the federal government, directed heads of institutions and Agencies to stop the inclusion of workers in the University staff school from the payrolls of their institutions and based on the directive, over 2,000 of our members were technically retrenched since 2013,” Ugwoke said.
The union said it had earlier issued 35-day notice before commencing the strike on Monday.
“If an agreement was signed in 2009 and now in 2017, we are still demanding for the implementation of such agreement, does it not show that we have been exceedingly patient?”
KEHINDE AKINTOLA & LAIDE AKINBOADE-ORIERE, Abuja
