Fresh crisis looms in tertiary schools

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has said it would commence industrial action from tomorrow, Thursday, July 4, if four months salaries owed its members by the government were not paid.

The academic body handed down the threat in a communique issued after its 48th Regular National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State.

The communique highlighted several critical resolutions and concerns affecting its members and the Nigerian university system at large.

Addressing the issue of unpaid salaries, the NEC expressed deep dismay over the Federal Government’s failure to honour the salary agreements, citing selective payments as some unions were attended to while others  were neglected.

The Union noted that despite assurances from the government’s officials and the suspension of the previous warning strike earlier in the year, its members remained unpaid for four months.

In addition to the salary arrears, SSANU also raised concerns over the inadequate N35,000 wage award meant to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal, which has not been consistently paid across the federal institutions. The NEC called for immediate resumption of the wage payments, and called on the state governments to fulfil their obligations to staff in the state universities.

Furthermore, the NEC expressed frustration with the delayed negotiation and implementation of a new National Minimum Wage (NMW), stressing its urgency in the light of rising living cost and inflation.

SSANU also rejected the proposal by the Southern Governors’ Forum to negotiate the minimum wage independently, insisting that the Federal Government should maintain exclusive jurisdiction over the matter.

The communique also called for the re-negotiation of the 2009 agreement between SSANU and the Federal Government, emphasising the need for urgent action on the long standing issue.

However, SSANU applauded the reconstitution of the Governing Councils in the federal universities, but criticised the omission of experienced educationists and technocrats from the appointments.

Turning to broader societal concerns, the NEC expressed grave concern over the escalating insecurity nationwide, which has directly impacted the university staff and administrators.

They called on the government to adopt more stringent measures to combat criminal activities threatening the nation’s stability.

Additionally, SSANU highlighted the deplorable state of the Nigerian roads and the erratic power supply, both of which adversely affect economic activities and university operations. The NEC urged the government to prioritise road rehabilitation and find lasting solutions to the country’s energy crisis.

Finally, the NEC also condemned attempts by the state governments to impose civil service rules on universities, emphasising the distinct nature of university administration and staff.

In conclusion, SSANU called for prompt action on the pressing issues to alleviate the suffering of the university staff, and ensure the effective operation of Nigeria’s higher education institutions.

Part of the statement read: “NEC in session, once again, expresses utmost dismay at the unprecedented level of government’s insensitivity, and deliberate resolve to cause chaos in the university system by adopting the divide and rule policy to set Unions on a collision course through preferential treatment of one union over others.

“Recall that SSANU and other unions were compelled by the government to embark on strike in 2022 over the government’s refusal to honour a collective bargaining agreement willingly signed by all parties. At the end of the strike, the then Buhari Government further signed an elaborate agreement, including the non victimisation clause.

“However, the government made selective payment of the withheld salaries. While we do not begrudge the payment made to our colleagues, we expected the same gesture to be extended to SSANU and NASU that legally complied with all procedures before embarking on the industrial action.

“Despite all promises and media hype by the Ministers of Education and Labour, including the House of Representatives to pay the arrears, the government has continued to dribble SSANU, even after the mutual agreement to suspend the one week warning strike in March this year.

“NEC in session deliberated on the matter, and unanimously approved a long drawn comprehensive industrial action after concurrence with the Joint Action Committee meeting of SSANU and NASU scheduled for Thursday, July 4, 2024, if the government fails to pay the four months salary arrears.”

Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure his administration adequately caters for  the welfare of the nation’s public university lecturers.

Chairman, ASUU, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) chapter, Prof. Kingsley Ubaorji, told newsmen during a protest by members of the union in Awka, yesterday, that the inability of the Federal Government to honour some of the provisions of its previous agreements was creating economic challenges for lecturers and jeopardising the growth of university education.

Ubaorji said ASUU at an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in June urged Tinubu to implement the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement.

He said also begging for the President’s attention was the implementation of the Prof. Nimi Briggs’ report, funding and revitalisation of public universities based on the FGN-ASUU MoU of 2012 and 2013.

He also called for the implementation of ASUU/FG MoA of 2017; release of the three-and-half months of the withheld lecturers salaries and the payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).

Others are the release of unpaid staff salaries to lecturers who went on sabbatical and adjunct teachers, which was not done due to linking of universities to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

He said other areas of dispute were the release of third-party deductions and the implementation of University Transparency Account System (UTAS) in place of IPPIS.

He said the union also wants the government to implement the reports of the visitation panels.

He condemned what he described as the dissolution of governing councils of federal and state universities without following due process.

“Governing councils are crucial for the governance and strategic direction of our universities.

“Therefore, the illegal and arbitrary dissolution of the governing councils whose tenures have not ended undermines Nigerian universities’ autonomy and smooth functioning.

“This cannot be tolerated as it lays a very bad precedent. Even the membership of the said newly reconstituted councils is problematic,’’ he said.

Ubaorji said ASUU and the government had entered into an agreement detailing timelines and expectations of both parties aimed at developing Nigeria’s universities system.

Ubaorji said the union would embark on a nationwide strike if the Federal Government failed to honour the terms of agreements it entered into with it.

“It may interest the general public, especially Nigerian students, to know that through ASUU struggles, Nigerians have enjoyed regulated and subsidised tuition fees.

“There is also the establishment of TETFund and NEEDS Assessment funds that have sponsored critical infrastructure projects in our universities, including lecture classrooms,” he said.

Also speaking, the South East Zonal coordinator of ASUU, Prof. Dennis Aribodor, urged the Federal Government to properly fund its existing universities rather than establishing new ones.

The protesting lecturers carried placards some of which read: “FG pay us three years arrears”, “Stop suffocating university lecturers,”

“Honour Nimi Briggs agreement,” “End poverty level salaries”, “FG allow lecturers breathe,” “Pay us our worth,” and “lectures dignity matters.”