The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, will hold a National Executive Council, NEC, meeting anytime from now to decide what action to take on government’s refusal to implement a Memorandum of Action, MoA, both parties endorsed on February 7, last year.
Speaking in a chat with our correspondent, the Chairman of ASUU, University of Lagos, UNILAG chapter. Dr Dele Ashiru, said the meeting had become necessary in view of the dilly-dally approach of the government on the matter.
“The memorandum was signed a year ago and with the timelines attached to each of the items on the list. None of the item has been implemented according to the timeline. We cannot have an open ended approach to the issues. The MoA was a renegotiation of the 2009 agreement we had with the government and was to be completed in six weeks.
“Something slated for completion in six weeks is still lingering a year after. We thought the government would be reasonable but that has not been the case. Our patience has been dragged beyond elastic limits. The IPPIS issue is just a distraction, it is not the only issue we have to sort out with the government,” he said.
When asked whether ASUU members were not placated by the payment of their salaries despite not enrolling in the platform, Ashiru noted IPPIS was just an issue among many others.
“We still have the issue of earned academic allowances that are yet to be paid. The government was supposed to pay some of the allowances last November but that was not done. If they placate us with payment despite our stance on IPPIS, there is nothing bad in that. It means they are thinking right now. We too are open to dialogue.
“They should continue to dialogue with us. That is better than the bravado which they initially employed and which will not do anybody any good. We are concerned about the future of education in the country and we must get it right if we want our citizens to be able to compete favourably with their peers from around the globe in the nearest future,” he added.
Recall that the relationship between ASUU and the Federal Government turned sour in the last few months as a result of FG demand that all federal workers should enrol enrolment in the IPPIS.
Apart from ASUU leaders, a number of people have also decried forcing lecturers to be on IPPIS.
Only last weekend, the Provost of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria, ACAN, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, also faulted the government’s stance.
Akinrinade, who delivered a lecture at the convocation ceremony of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, Ago Iwoye, said it would erode the autonomy of the universities and render them subservient to civil servants in Abuja.
The Bridge News
