FG Orders VCs to Reopen Federal Univerrsities

The Federal Government has directed Vice-Chancellors of federal universities to, immediately, reopen their institutions for academic and allied activities.Government also charged them to provide an enabling environment for staff to carry out their lawful duties.The Supervising Minister of Education, Barr. Nyesom Wike, who conveyed these directives at a press conference, held on Thursday, 28 November, 2013, in Abuja, said that any academic staff who failed to resume by 4 December, 2013, ceased to be a staff of the institution. Consequently, Vice-Chancellors were directed to advertise vacancies (internal and external) in their institutions.

The Minister said that Government had reviewed the situation and come to the conclusion, that the continuation of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was an attempt to sabotage Government’s efforts to address their grievances, noting that no responsible government would allow the continuous closure of her public universities for this length of time. He recalled the various meetings held with the leadership of ASUU and the initiatives taken by the Federal Government to address the grievances of ASUU since it went on strike on 1 July, 2013.

Barr. Wike explained that, as part of efforts to demonstrate Government’s commitment, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, had met with ASUU executives and other union leaders from Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), on 4 November, 2013, where all the issues were resolved and firm commitments made to address the lingering issues. He stated that it was amazing that three weeks after the meeting with Mr. President, ASUU responded by giving new conditions for suspending the five-month old strike. The Minister wondered, if Mr. President’s gesture was not more than sufficient to guarantee the commitment of Government to address all issues as resolved at the meeting. He appealed to all stakeholders to appreciate the position of Government, which was in the best interest of the nation.

Barr. Wike described as unfortunate, the tragic death of former ASUU President, Professor Festus Iyayi, who lost his life in an accident on his way to Kano, for the Union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and expressed Government’s sympathy to the family of the late Iyayi and ASUU. In a similar vein, the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Nigerian Federal Universities rose from its meeting, held in Abuja, on Tuesday, 26 November, 2013, where it discussed wide-ranging issues affecting the Nigerian University System (NUS), including the ASUU strike, and resolved that all federal universities should re-open in the overall interest of all stakeholders.

A communiqué issued by the Chairman of the Committee, Professor Kimse Okoko, read in part: “The Committee noted, with satisfaction, the outcome of the referendum conducted in all branches of ASUU nation-wide which voted 60:40, in favour of the suspension of the on-going ASUU strike. Consequently, based on the outcome of this democratic exercise by ASUU and the negative impact the strike has had on the university system, the students, parents and the nation at large, the Committee of Pro-Chancellors unanimously agreed that all federal universities should re-open their universities immediately in the overall interest of all concerned.”

The statement commended the Federal Government for its efforts at addressing the major issues involved in the action, including the bold and supportive intervention by Mr. President himself in the matter. The Committee also directed Vice-Chancellors to comply with the Committee’s decision.