From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Niger Delta University (NDU), Amassoma, Bayelsa State, which entered its second month, has taken its toll on the students. Equally affected are the lecturers, who have been forced to bear the full brunt of unfulfilled promises by the Bayelsa State Government.
Investigations revealed that Dr. Oyinkepreye Lucky Bebeteidoh led-ASUU had exhausted all avenues of amicable resolution of issues in contention before it embarked on strike after it became glaring that the state government was in for a hide-and-seek game.
Findings indicated that the contentious issues that led to the industrial impasse were the refusal of the state government to implement the demands of the union.
The demands include implementation of the 25%/35% salary increment for members with immediate effect and the payment of the arrears from January 2023 to date, consequential adjustment and immediate implementation of the N80, 000 minimum wage to members, implementation of annual step increment and the payment of arrears from 2018 to date, payment of promotion arrears from 2018 to date.
Other issues are provision of on-campus accommodation for staff to ease the burden, stress, and risk of commuting to work from Yenagoa daily, implementation of the annual review of the yearly subvention as contained in the MOA earlier agreed, employment of academic staff especially those below the rank of Senior Lecturer (Graduate Assistant, Lecturer II and I and provision of funding for accreditation needs of the university
Bebeteidoh said the Federal Government commenced the implementation of 25%/35% in March 2024, colleagues in several state universities such as Kwara, Ekiti, Osun, Delta, Ondo and Gombe have started receiving the increment.
According to him, the union started engaging the state government in May 2024 and the negotiation was not taken seriously.
‘’We as a branch in NDU started engaging the state government in May 2024. The first letter we wrote, attaching the memo from the National Salaries and Wages Commission was written in May 2024, but we did not receive any response. We wrote another letter in July on the same issue reminding them of the first letter, but we did not receive any response, we wrote another letter in August on the same issue and we did not receive any response. In between, we also wrote to seek an audience with the governor, because he is our Visitor, our father, so that he can reason with our plight, but there was no answer,” he stated.
Realizing that its efforts to make the government implement the demands did not yield positive result, the union in August commenced the process of an industrial action.
He disclosed that at a congress held in Amassoma, in August, the branch ratified the decision to embark on strike and mandated the union executive to communicate its decision to zonal leadership for ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) approval.
Curiously that same day, the state government conveyed a meeting to iron out issues. The meeting held in August 2024 at the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Nimbofa Ayawei, also had in attendance Commissioners for Education, Information, Orientation and Strategy, Labour, Head of Service and the Technical Adviser to the Governor on Treasury, Mr. Timipre Selepulo.
Bebeteidoh used the opportunity again to highlight the outstanding demands of members.
It was gathered that at the end of the crucial meeting, a committee was set up and given a mandate of three weeks to report back to the government on how to address the demands of the lecturers.
ASUU chairman revealed that the committee did not meet as agreed, which forced the union to convene another congress where its members again ratified the decision to embark on strike and the outcome was communicated to its zonal leadership ahead of ASUU NEC approval.
“Strangely, the committee that had been in slumber for three weeks when it was supposed to carry out its assignment to salvage the situation in NDU called for a meeting on the same day, the ASUU- NDU memo went out.
Bebeteidoh explained that at meeting, the committee grouped tertiary institutions in the state under the auspices of the Higher Institutions Joint Action Committee (HIJAC), which forced ASUU to pulled out of the meeting based on a resolution by ASUU NEC that the branch should not participate in any meeting with members of HIJAC because the body is alien to any known labour law in Nigeria.
Daily Sun gathered that ASUU NEC sent a visitation team on October 29th, 2024 to access the situation before the commencement of the industrial action.
The state government got wind of the NEC visitation team and swung into action in a last-ditch effort to prevent the strike. After several calls including to ASUU National President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, it was agreed that the NEC delegates headed by Comrade Ozo Onyebinama meet with representatives of the state government.
At the meeting held on October 30th, 2024, presided over by the Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrujakpo, the issues were exhaustively discussed and a five-point obligation was ratified by the state government.
The obligation of the state government as listed in the Memorandum of Understanding between it and the ASUU NDU Stated that government would finalize discussion on items 1-4 of demands from Monday 4th to Monday 18th of November, commence implementation of items 1-4 by the end of November
Also agreed was government and the university administration would work out the modalities to handover the existing residential buildings started by previous administrations on the campus, government should invite ASUU NDU leadership to a meeting on November 14th, 2024 to discuss further option on staff accommodation on campus and hold talk with the university management on the modalities of implementing items 6-8.
The obligation of ASUU- NDU, the MOU stated ‘’Upon implementation of items 1-4 and other issues, ASUU- NDU will commence the process of suspending the proposed industrial action.’’
The implication of the obligation of the ASUU-NDU means that if the state government fails to fulfill its side of the bargain, the union can proceed with its strike.
The MOU was signed on behalf of the state by the SSG, Prof Nimbofa Ayawei while the Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Mr. Saturday Odoko Omiloli signed as witness. Comrade Onyebinama who led the NEC visitation team signed on behalf of ASUU- NDU and Dr. Bebeteidoh signed as a witness.
Sadly, by the end of November 2024, none of the five obligations by the state government was implemented paving the way for the ongoing strike.
‘’ We waited for the November salary and the government true to type did not meet their side of the bargain. We met again in early December and decided to proceed on strike. We communicated to the zonal leadership and the NEC gave its approval for us to embark on strike. Let the government attend to the MOU. The process to proceed on strike is very stringent and the process of calling off the strike is more stringent.’’
Bebeteidoh expressed dismay that the state government has been toying with the welfare of lecturers. According to him most of the developments in NDU would not have been possible if not for TETFUND and NEEDS, which came to the rescue of the institution.
The student body is no longer finding the strike funny, as they have been moving around to appeal to relevant government officials to implement the MOU so that the union can suspend the strike.
In a statement by the National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Council, the Chairman, Walter Omieh, noted that ‘’the prolonged strike in Niger Delta University has severely affected our academic calendar.”
Omieh demanded that the government and university authorities address the union’s demands within the shortest possible time.
The ASUU chairman at a congress held on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, declared that there is no going back on the demands of the union.
‘’Our commitment to the strike reflects our unwavering dedication to the future of education in Bayelsa State. It is a struggle not just for the rights of our members but for the quality of education that our students deserve. We cannot in good conscience, return to the classroom under the current circumstance, ‘’ he said.
The Commissioner for Education, Dr. Gentle Emelah, says the state government has sustained its support for the university through increased subvention to demonstrate its commitment to the continued growth and development of the institution.
Emelah, who hosted a delegation of student leaders across the state led by Comrade Daniel Ndanebari, Secretary, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS Zone B) and Comrade Pius Augustine President, National Union of Bayelsa State Students (NUBSS WW) to deliberate on the lingering strike and appealed to ASUU to shift grounds in the interest of the state.
‘’The administration has made consciously in developing the tertiary education as the issues raised by the union are being negotiated and our administration remains committed to resolving them,’’ he said.
As it stands, it is the view of concerned Bayelsans that the current situation is enough pointers for the Visitor of the university, Governor Douye Diri to step up efforts and save the school from the lingering industrial action.