By Gift Chapi Odekina
The House of Representatives on Tuesday asked the Federal Government to fulfill its promises to Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by honouring the previous agreements signed by both parties, in order to end the ongoing nationwide strike action.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion on the ‘Urgent need to address the frequent strike actions by ASUU’ sponsored by Hon. Dozie Nwankwo.
In his lead debate, Hon. Nwankwo who called for the House intervention expressed concern over the non-implementation of various meetings held by the relevant bodies which led to the call-off of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike action which lasted for 9months (from March 2020 to December 2020).
“The House is also aware of the individual and corporate pains the strike action inflicted on Nigerian students, parents and the education sector to the extent that it disrupted the academic calendar and impacted negatively on the teaching staff, their families and the depreciating standards of Nigeria’s Public Universities;.
“The House is conscious of the benefits and advantages of the demands of ASUU on the overall interests of Nigeria’s public institutions and the well-being of the personnel which includes funding for the revitalization of public universities and signing and implementation of the renegotiated” 2009 FGN- ASUU Agreement, amongst others.
“The House is disturbed that shortly after the last horrendous experience by Nigerians, a one-month warning strike action by members of ASUU has commenced with effect from February 14, 2022, despite all previous efforts to resolve the contending issues, such efforts include that of the Speaker, House of Representatives and other stakeholders which included members of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC).
“The House is further disturbed that the consequences of the strike action are embarrassingly becoming too frequent and with consequences too damning to the education sector as one-month strike action is a too much disruption to an academic calendar and too much time for an ‘idle man’ to cause havoc, especially in the present university environment which is infested with cult activities and other social vices.
“The House is concerned that in the present circumstances, claims and counterclaims by both ASUU members and Government representatives are not helping the situation because the picture created is not clear and both Nigerians and foreigners are left to interpret it differently, regrettably tilting towards perceived/or deliberate intention to frustrate the genuine spirit of reconciliation and tertiary education in Nigeria widely seen as education for the ordinary Nigerian.
“The House is worried that major parts of the grounds of dispute border on issues like the injection of revitalization funds, payment of earned academic allowance and the likes that are obtainable in other African countries like Ghana and South Africa.
“The House is also worried that Nigeria is losing revenue through Nigerian students who school abroad whereas Nigerian Universities can be raised to the standards of the best Universities in Africa and other parts of the world.
“The House is cognizant that all hands must be on deck to avert the strike action and to allow Public Universities to continue with their programmes undisrupted and to resolve such issues dispassionately,” he noted.
After the debate on the motion, the House urged Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and ASUU to adhere to the Clauses and provisions of the previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the Memorandum of Action in the interest of Nigerian students and education sector in Nigeria and call off the warning strike.
To this end, the House mandated the joint Committees on Labour, Employment and Productivity and, Tertiary Education and Services to interface with the Ministries of Labour and Employment and, Education, Civil Society Organizations, Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) and ASUU to address the outstanding issues that are precipitating the current warning strike by members of ASUU.
The House also mandated the Committee on Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance.
