Education

Resolve ASUU Strike in Two Weeks, Buhari Directs Adamu

By Web News 521

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu to resolve the prolonged strike embarked upon by the four university-based unions and report back to him in two weeks’ time.

President Buhari gave the directive on Tuesday after he received briefings from the relevant government Ministries, Agencies and Departments involved in resolving the face-off with the university unions.

Recall that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, had proceeded on a one-month warning strike on February 14, and other unions also withdrew their services after that as a result of the alleged inability of the federal government to meet up with their demands.

The three other unions that embarked on strike are the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions, NASU and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.

President Buhari summoned the Tuesday meeting to receive a briefing from the government team while the strike has lingered for too long.

The President after hearing from the relevant MDA’s directly involved ordered the Minister of Education to ensure that the impasse was resolved within two weeks and report back to him.

Sources at the meeting also said that President Buhari directed that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige must be in any of the meetings to resolve the crisis.

The sources further said that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr. Boss Mustapha should be part of the team to interface with the striking unions.

One of the sources said that the President commended Ngige for his efforts so far to resolve the face-off.

Those at the meeting were the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Ngige, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, the Chairman of National Salaries Income and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, the Director-General Budget Office, Ben Akabueze.

Vanguard/Simeon Ugbodovon

 

Education

UI JAC Extends Warning Strike

By Web News 537

Members of the Joint Action Committee, JAC an umbrella body of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU and Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, University of Ibadan chapter has again extended, its two weeks warning strike by two weeks.

The two weeks warning strike which commenced today followed a unanimous decision at a Congress held at the institution in line with the national body of the union.

In an interview, the Chairman, Senior Staff Association of University, who is also the JAC chairman, University of Ibadan chapter, Mr Abiodun Omisore, said the decision to extend the warning strike followed the Federal government’s lackadaisical stand to their aspirations and demands.

Mr Omisore said that the Federal government had chosen to impose stiffer sanctions of ‘no work, no pay, adding that such would not deter the union from taking their stand.

The union had on the 28th of March declared two weeks warning strike to press home their demands.

 JAC among other things were demanding for the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, implementation of the memorandum of understanding, undue usurpation of some positions, failure to pay minimum wage arrears and failure of the government to provide adequate fund to reposition the Nigerian universities to be at par with its counterpart in the developed world.

Rotimi Famakin

Education

SSANU, NASU, Continue Indefinite Strike

By Web News 1181

Members of the Joint Action Committee comprising Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU, and Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU at the University of Ibadan, UI, have vowed to continue their strike earlier suspended until their demands are fully met.

The two unions are demanding full payment of January salary of workers at the UI Staff School against 75percent and payment of their arrears from 2016 till date.

Other demands by the workers include payment of six months promotion arrears as well as the payment of pension deduction by the management of the University of Ibadan.

In an interview, president of NASU, UI, Mr. Malachi Etim, and SSANU secretary, Mr. Abiodun Omisore said the management of UI has failed to honour the agreements earlier reached on the payment of the arrears.

The two union leaders said the management of the University of Ibadan and the federal government were both deducting pensions from their salaries since 2004 till date, adding that the institution leaders had failed to refund the pension deducted from their salaries.

Our correspondent who monitored the development said the workers converged at the main gate of the institution and barricaded the dual roads leading to the administrative buildings of the school.

Apart from the main gate that was put under lock, students and other workers had to resort to trekking long distances to get to their destinations.

Rotimi Famakin