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By Gabriel Dike
The Joint Action Front (JAF), has declared its support for the on-going nationwide industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
It also decried the non-implementation of ASUU’s demands since 2009 and called on the Federal Government to address the issues that led to the current strike, so that students of public universities throughout the country can return to classes.
A statement signed by JAF’s secretary, Abiodun Aremu, explained that ASUU was compelled to proceed on the strike because the President muhammadu Buhari administration has since inception in 2015 demonstrated unseriousness, insincerity and contemptuous disregard for the implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) and memorandum of action (MoA) the Federal Government reached and signed with the union.
Aremu said the demands of ASUU, which have been recurring since the 2009 FG-ASUU collective agreements centred on adequate funding and revitalization of public universities, university autonomy,and payment of the legitimate entitlements and welfare due to university lecturers.
Said he: “JAF supports all the demands of ASUU, including the demand for the adoption of UTAS (University Transparency and Accountability Solution) as opposed to the corruption and fraud-induced payment system called Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) that the Federal Government imposed on the university system.
“We hold that the full implementation of these demands can guarantee improvement in the standard of university education, make it possible for children of the working class and poor masses to access university education and enhance improvement in working conditions of the lecturers.
“We commend ASUU for making this strike definite, by offering the Buhari government a four-week lifeline during which it should implement all outstanding issues with ASUU.”
The group urged the organised Labour (Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to declare solidarity action in support of the strike in order to mount pressure on the government to meet the demands of ASUU. JAF also called on the working class, students, youths, women, artisans and professionals, poor masses, to join forces to support the demands of the strike.
Aremu said it is prepared to organize with ASUU a series of mass activities to sensitize the public and mobilize mass support for their demands, and thus called for a joint struggle of all unions in the education sector on their collective demands that should be anchored on adequate funding of public education and its democratic management.
The civil society reiterated its position against the of underfunding of public education and public interest, which the Buhari administration and its predecessors adopted and which has been responsible for the prevailing socio-economic crises and underdevelopment of the country.
“We contend that it is only the struggle and solidarity of the working class, students and youth, women and the oppressed masses that can force the regimes of the looters’ class in Nigeria, not only to meet the demands of ASUU, but also, to commit public wealth to fund public education and public welfare, in general,” JAF stated.
