The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has accused the Federal Government of insincerity in its approach to collective bargaining and the welfare of academic staff in public universities.
The union lamented that the government had not shown genuine regard for tertiary education judging by the way it handles the welfare and conditions of service of intellectuals in public institutions.
It, however, vowed not to abandon its struggle for decent working conditions and improved funding for the revitalisation of public universities in the interest of the children of the masses.
ASUU Chairman, University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Adefemi Afolabi, stated this while featuring on Situation Room, a radio programme in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS reports that ASUU, on Monday, began a two-week warning strike to protest the Federal Government’s failure to sign the renegotiated draft agreement reached by the Yayale Ahmed-led committee, which concluded its sittings over eight months ago.
Afolabi said the Federal Government had taken ASUU for granted for too long, noting that the union was forced into the warning strike due to what he described as government’s “delay tactics” and disregard for the principles of collective bargaining.
He said, “The Federal Government took ASUU for granted for over eight months. The union was not happy to proceed on the warning strike but was forced to do so because of the delay tactics adopted by the government and its posture towards jettisoning the principle of collective bargaining.”
According to him, the union waited patiently for eight months and even organised protests to sensitise Nigerians on the need for the government to sign the renegotiated agreement.
However, the government, he said, came back with a new committee to restart the entire process.
“This is a waste of time and resources and an indication that the government is only interested in wasting our time and is not ready to resolve the welfare and conditions of service of lecturers,” Afolabi said.
He decried the growing wave of resignations among high-profile professors in public universities, saying many were leaving the country in search of better opportunities abroad.
“Sadly, there is a wave of resignations of high-profile professors in Nigeria’s public universities who are relocating abroad in search of greener pastures for themselves and their families.
“Apart from professors’ resignations, young lecturers who were recently employed are also resigning after being shocked by their salaries and conditions of service when they were paid,” he said.
Afolabi lamented that lecturers were working under poor conditions, with many struggling to cope with the rising cost of living.
“We don’t work in an ideal environment. How do you reward your intellectuals with so little and still expect them to be happy and continue to work? Our strike is based on a lack of trust in this Federal Government because their approach is not different from the previous ones.
“You don’t want to strike, but government policies disrupt livelihoods and survival of lecturers with galloping inflation.
“How can you not trust your own committees and still come up with another committee to review what the last committee did, and then set up yet another expanded committee to meet with the union again?
“Now, the situation is terrible. Lecturers are finding it difficult to come to the office due to the high cost of transportation. Those who come cannot concentrate because of many unmet needs.
“Professors are voluntarily resigning and relocating abroad, while first-class graduates no longer show interest in lecturing, not to talk of applying for the job. These events have grave consequences for the future of university education in Nigeria,” he lamented.
