Fed Govt denies pact with ASUU
By Kamarudeen Ogundele THE NATION NEWSPAPER

Universities were paralysed yesterday by a teachers’ strike, which began on Monday.
There was no sign that the ice may soon thaw. Reason: A meeting of representatives of the Federal Government and the teachers ended in a deadlock in Abuja yesterday
Rising from the meeting, Education Minister Sam Egwu said there was no agreement between the government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
He said: "It is not that government is not interested; it is not that government is not showing concern about what is happening.
"Government did not enter any agreement with ASUU; let that be made clear. Government only nominated people to be part of the negotiation and it was agreed that at the end of the negotiation that the document will be sent to their principal.
"The principal on the part of the government is Mr. President. It wasn’t that government had agreed with them. It was just members nominated by the government to represent them on the negotiation team and the government has the final say after looking at the document to say ‘yes’ this is what we will do or we need to modify or change one or two things.
"I agree with you that members of the panel ought to be reporting to the government as the negotiation progresses but that does not mean that there was an agreement. It is only a document suggesting issues or things needed to be done. It only becomes an agreement when both parties agreed."
According to Egwu, salary is the major challenge the government is facing among ASUU’s demands. He said funding, staff training and other areas had been taken care of by the government.
The government, he said, would need extra N78 billion to meet the salary increment demanded by the union.
"Considering the economic meltdown and possible reaction from other unions, the government needs to consider what is possible and sustainable," Egwu said.
The minister said the government’s negotiation team was in the process of submitting its report to the chairman of the inter-ministerial committee who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed.
After this, he said, a meeting would be called to discuss the document before it is submitted to President Umaru Yar’Adua.
He urged ASUU to see the government as a partner in progress in the development of education.
In a telephone chat with The Nation, ASUU President Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie said the meeting with the minister was not on the strike but to know when the agreement would be signed.
"We shall be on strike until that day. In our opinion, this thing can be done within a week, if the government considers education a priority. If they want to take the whole time, fair enough; we shall be on strike until that day."
Classrooms, car parks and lecturers’ offices were empty yesterday.
Chairman of ASUU at the St ate Lagos University (LASU), Dr Kabir Olusegun Akinyemi, told The Nation: "Though we have declared the strike, we have to get down to our respective universities to call the congress tomorrow (today) where we will sensitise our members on why we have to embark on total strike as directed by the executive council. After the congress might have been called, you expect a release to come out from each branch which will be circulated to all members by Thursday. Now the President (of ASUU) has actually declared a nationwide strike. We shall use tomorrow’s congress to tell all our members who have not yet been informed and the university authority will also be communicated forthwith."
Chairman of ASUU-University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter Dr Ayo Olowe said: "We are being cheated by the government and we are bent on fighting for our rights, and this can be achieved only if we go on strike, because the government has been deceiving us since year 2007-2008.We were forced to take a critical decision and we will not resume until the agreement is signed and implemented."
He gave his colleagues the grace to teach till yesterday since, according to him, many of them were not aware of the circular on time.
Everything was at a standstill at the university of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB), Olabisi Onabanjo University, (OOU) Ago - Iwoye and Tai Solarin University of Education, (TASUED) Ijagun.
All was quiet at the Niger Delta University (NDU), Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State where spokesman. Amazige Ebiegberi confirmed the the strike.
Senate Education Committee Chair Senator Joy Emodi suggested the use of the Education Trust Fund (ETF) for tertiary institutions only.
Emodi said using the ETF to meet the needs of tertiary institutions would go long way to end the crisis in education.
She said the government had begun partial implementation of the agreement with ASUU but that the only area of contention is the welfare and funding of the universities.
Urging all Nigerians to support the quest for improved welfare for university teachers, which she claimed would stop "brain drain", Emodi appealed to ASUU to consider the plight of their students.
Pointing out that the President, Vice-President, Minister of Education and the two chairmen of the National Assembly Committees on Education are former teachers, she urged the lecturers not to lose faith in the capacity of the government to address the issues at hand.
She said: "So, once the conditions are improved, it would not only attract our local teachers, but also people from different parts of the world and that is why I am supporting the amendment of the ETF law so that it would be limited to tertiary institutions instead of being a jack of all trade and master of none.’’
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday expressed total support for the strike, calling on the government to implement its agreement with ASUU.
A statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu in Abuja said CNPP believed that ASUU’s demands were not selfish but patriotic and meant to uphold Section 18 of the 1999 Constitution, the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organiation (UNESCO) Declaration and the Seven Point Agenda of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
CNPP said: "It is our considered view that improved conditions of service of teachers is the foundation for retaining the best to educate our children; unlike the appalling situation where the best brains hunt desperately for placement in the corrupt civil service, banks and greener pastures abroad."
Downloaded From The Nation Newspaper 24th June 2009 Issue

ASUU is a body of intellectuals and not of little minded and shortsighted politicians ruling Nigeria we are unfortunate to be ruled by these group of people. The agitation of ASUU is target towards saving our educational system in this country and these idiots are hiding under the auspice of good salary package demanded by the lecturers to throw away other request (The most senior professor in the University earn less than 250, 000 naira, an amount less than the entry level in oil and telecom companies. This is not acceptable, to obtain a PhD is a not easy). meanwhile the bastards are paying themselves huge amount of money in salaries and benefits for bad governance and mismanagement of the nations resources. I will advise the president who claims to be part of the system before to look into these matter critically and heed the SOS from ASUU towards the restoration of our Educational system back to its days of glory.