THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Wednesday, held a protest rally in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, over the ongoing crisis and strike in the, university system especially the Federal Government’s refusal to sign the agreement reached with the union on how to reverse the decay in the universities.
The teachers, who commenced the protest as early as 8 a.m in the morning, carrying placards and singing solidarity songs, demanded the immediate sack of the Minister of Education, Dr. Sam Egwu, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Professor Julius Okojie.
ASUU stated that the strike, which had entered its third month, would not be called off under any circumstances except the Federal Government signed the agreement reached with the union, saying that the strike was for the overall interest of the Nigerian university system, the children and the nation in general.
The lecturers, dressed in academic gowns, held the rally in the sprawling town of Gwagwalada, Abuja, through all the streets in the town, with some of their placards reading: “Remove Sam Egwu to save Nigerian Education,” “Come back to negotiating table,” “Dr. Egwu, Mrs. Aisha Dukku, Professor Julius Okojie are Boko Haram,” “motivate lecturers and stop brain drain now,” “build more hostels to avoid cultism,” “better funding, better education, greater future,” “down with anarchists who abrogate agreements,” and Egwu is Boko Haram.”
Addressing the rally, which started and terminated at the University of Abuja campus, Chairman, University of Abuja chapter of ASUU, Dr. Abu Mallam, who led the protest, said: “The minister of education is certainly the man who is at the head of everything and if universities have been closed down, let us say, even if a university is closed for a day, the minister should show concern, but the minister has, of recent, demonstrated the fact that he are not ready for this universities to be opened.
“So, if you have a minister for education that doesn’t care that universities are closed down, then that minister of education has no business being there. Here, we are saying that the government has to sack this man and bring in someone who is more serious.
“Remember what Gani’s son said, that his father’s wishes were that the minister of education should be sacked. So, we stand by that statement.” Dr. Mallam said the negotiations with the Federal Government which lasted for years, centered on funding, improved conditions of service, autonomy and academic freedom, adding that the objectives were to stem brain-drain, address the rot in the university system and to improve teaching and learning conditions so as to enhance the quality of graduates to meet international standards.
He emphasised that at the end of a exercise, “which took over two years, the Federal Government has frantically abandoned the agreements it willingly and freely entered into with the staff unions of universities.”
Dr. Mallam said that the intervention of the Vice-President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, would have been fruitful but that it was again bungled by the government team which walked out on ASUU. He described this as a violation of the principle of collective bargaining and Nigerian Labour Law.
No comments:
Post a Comment