Nigerian Universities Will Be Shut Down Again If ASUU Issues Fresh Threat To Federal Government

 

The chairman, University of Ibadan branch of ASUU, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, in a statement on Sunday asked Nigerians to blame the Federal Government if universities are shut down again.

According to a report by The PUNCH, the Academic Staff Union of Universities has threatened to resume its suspended strike over non-payment of salaries and alleged victimisation of members.

The chairman, University of Ibadan branch of ASUU, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, in a statement on Sunday asked Nigerians to blame the Federal Government if universities are shut down again.

Akinwole decried that no matter agreeing to ASUU’s condition before the strike turned into suspended on December 24, 2020, many teachers are nevertheless being owed salaries of between two and 10 months.

ASUU had called off its 9-month strike after the FG agreed to its situations.

However, within  weeks of the conditional suspension of the nine-month strike embarked upon via ASUU, the Federal Government reportedly flouted the agreements.

It become learnt that as of December 31, 2020, the Federal Government had failed to fulfil three agreements reached with the union.

Among the agreements, FG did not fulfil changed into the fee of the teachers six months salaries, such as December 2020 salaries, owed academics.

While over one hundred academics have been stated now not to get hold of payments for the 2 months at the University of Ibadan, lecturers in a few universities obtained nothing in view that February 2020.

The ASUU chairman said, “While ASUU as a union, and her participants as people in various branches have remained trustworthy to this settlement by returning to instructions and performing their respective obligations, the Federal Government, actual to kind, has reneged on its part

“Contrary to FGN affirmation of its commitment to pay all withheld salaries of ASUU individuals who've now not enrolled within the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information system (IPPIS), 3 months after the suspension of Strike, thousands of ASUU individuals throughout numerous department are nonetheless being owed salaries.

“Instead of deploying the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) software developed by means of ASUU, which has been adjudged effective for charge of salaries, some of our individuals are nevertheless being denied their salaries and others are being coerced via marketers of the government to sign in on the repressive IPPIS for payment of salaries.

“The Union ASUU and her members are made to be afflicted by all the aforementioned attacks by means of the federal authorities at the same time as the public expects our individuals, some of who now stay on the charity of circle of relatives members and colleagues for survival to use their private resources to discharge their duties diligently in the universities.

“These harsh conditions would have horrible outcomes on public tertiary education in Nigeria and while push eventually involves shove, as it honestly will in no distant destiny, the Nigerian public have to thus blame the Federal Government for its insincerity.

“Blame the federal authorities of Nigeria if the universities are close down again.”