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…as stakeholders fear looming strike
Academic strikes, whether by the lecturers or the non-teaching staff is an ill-wind, which could lead to disruptions in academic activities and can negatively impact students and the institution as a whole.
These strikes, while aiming to address grievances and improve working conditions, have far-reaching consequences that can be detrimental to educational goals and the well-being of both students and the university community.
Consequently, Nigerians are calling on the federal government to harmonise the N50 billion earned academic allowance released recently to address the unnecessary bickering erupting between the universities’ non-teaching staff and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Stakeholders expressed worries if the impasse is not adequately addressed, and on time, it would derail the university calendar at the detriment of the students.
Read also: Federal government releases N50bn to pay ASUU
Jessica Osuere, the chief executive officer at RubiesHub Educational Services, emphasised that the crisis could derail the university education sector.
According to the educationist, “The dispute highlights the longstanding tension and distrust about resource distribution in the education system.
And if this is not addressed and well handled, one can foresee looming industrial actions which would distort the academic calendar that for a while now has maintained a sort of stability.”
Besides, Osuere reiterated that disputes over financial entitlements tend to erode trust between university management and staff unions, and even among the unions themselves.
This, she said, can hinder collaborative efforts needed to reform and improve the higher education sector.
“In a system already grappling with issues like underfunding, infrastructural decay, and brain drain, prolonged union disputes can compound these issues, further discouraging investment in public tertiary education and lowering the morale of academic and non-academic staff alike,” she noted.
Friday Erhabor, director of media and strategies at Marklenez Limited, decried the fact that the various stakeholders in Nigeria’s university system have been very disappointing in the way they handle funds in the ecosystem.
“The mentality of grabbing the cake and who grabs the lion share has relegated students’ interest, and in an attempt to short change other groups, you see NASU/SSANU and ASUU in this unhealthy rivalry at the detriment of the students. Sometimes this degenerates into a supremacy fight.
“I think the government should enter into a joint negotiation and agreement with these bodies as well as put in place an accountability process for these groups to render an account on how funds released to them are utilised,” he said.
Read also: ASUU asks NASS, FG to strengthen TETFund, not replace it with NELFund
Nigeria lecturers have dispelled the fear that the crisis brewing in public universities following the rejection of the sharing formula of the N50 billion earned allowances by the non-teaching staff would lead to another industrial action.
However, some lecturers who spoke with BusinessDay on the possible implications of the bickering between non-teaching staff and ASUU, dispelled any threat of strike action, because according to them, the non-teaching staff have no issues in the issue, hence, it would not result to industrial action.
Stanley Alaubi, a senior lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, said NASU/SSANU have no right to agitate for equal share of the money because it is basically for the academic staff.
“The money released is called earned academic allowance; SSANU/NASU members are not academics; they should therefore go fight for their own money,” he said.
Alaubi wondered why the non-teaching staff would wait for ASUU to fight and then want to share in the spoils.
“We are still owed for the strike, about four months’ salary, but the non-teaching staff later joined when they saw it was yielding interest.
“I don’t think it would detail our struggle if the government chose to be sincere to ASUU,” he said.
Similarly, Stanley Boroh, a senior lecturer at Federal University, Otuoke in Bayelsa State said he does not see the crisis leading to strike, because the said amount is earned academic allowance, hence, there should be no course for bickering.
Read also: ASUU threatens fresh strike over unfulfilled 2009 agreement
“This money is for work that has been done by the academic staff and it’s earned, also the non-teaching staff have been enjoying this in their salaries.
“I can tell you for a fact that my level in the non-teaching cadre earns more than myself. So there should not be any course for alarm and I don’t think it should affect the relationship between teaching and non-teaching staff,” he said.
The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) had kicked against the sharing formula of 80 percent of the money being allocated to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) leaving a paltry 20 percent for SSANU, NASU and other unions to share.
The unions in a statement titled: “Unjust distribution of the approved N50 billion for university unions,” signed by Mohamed Mohamed, the JAC chairman and president of SSANU, and Peters Adeyemi, the general secretary of NASU, expressed displeasure over the sharing formula.
