During a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke highlighted concerns about the increasing illegal activities in public universities due to non-reinstatement and reconstitution of governing councils.
Osodeke, speaking after the ASUU-NEC meeting held at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife from May 11 to May 12, expressed dismay over the continuous erosion of university autonomy, which violates the Universities Miscellaneous Act (1993, 2012).
The ASUU president criticized the dissolution of governing councils by the current administration, stating it has led to various irregularities within the Nigerian University System.
He said, “The dissolution of Governing Councils by the present administration has paved way for all manner of illegalities in the Nigerian University System.
“University administrations now place advertisements for the appointment of Vice-Chancellor without authorisation from the appropriate quarters – the Governing Councils.
“Outgoing Vice-Chancellors, working in cahoots with the Federal and State Ministries of Education, are illegally running the universities on daily basis.
“They routinely usurp the powers of governing councils to recruit and discipline staff as well as manage university finances in manners bereft of transparency and accountability.”
The ASUU president emphasized that universities have been operating without governing councils for 11 months, allowing for widespread irregularities.
He said ASUU reviewed its engagements with the Federal and State Governments to enhance Nigeria’s public universities and discussed the deteriorating living and working conditions nationwide.
Osodeke stressed that past agreements between ASUU and the government surrounds more than just salary increments, advocating for a comprehensive negotiation process in line with international labor standards.
“The meeting received alarming reports on the failed promises of the Federal and State governments towards addressing the lingering issues that forced the union to embark on the nationwide strike of February-October 2022.
“As our union has consistently stated, salary awards are no substitutes for a negotiated agreement.
“Each negotiated Agreement between the Federal Government of Nigeria and ASUU is a comprehensive package that captures not the just salary component.
“But also a gamut of requirements for benchmarking a competitive university system designed for addressing the developmental challenges of Nigeria.
“ASUU’s demand for negotiated salary and other conditions of service is anchored on the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention No. 98 which underscores the principle of collective bargaining.
“The last FGN/ASUU Agreement was in 2009. Consequent upon the union’s advocacy spanning almost one decade, our union went into the renegotiation with the FGN as in 2017,” he said.
Regarding the indefinite strike at the University of Abuja, Osodeke affirmed ASUU’s full support for the action.
ASUU’s NEC plans to reconvene after two weeks to assess the situation and take further action.
KanyiDaily recalls that ASUU had appealed to President Bola Tinubu to transform the recently assented Students Loans Act into grants specifically designed for indigent students.
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