The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is set to submit its reports today to the federal government in response to the proposal made by the latter to the union on Monday last week.
National
President of the union, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, who disclosed this
yesterday in an exclusive interview with THISDAY, said the national
leadership took the federal government’s offer to its members, who have
turned down the offer, insisting that they would not accept tokenism.
Ogunyemi,
who queried the refusal of the federal government to commit itself to a
full tranche of the payment for revitalisation, which is N220 billion,
and spread it for a period of five quarters in order to show commitment,
said the proposal of over N34 billion is too low to be accepted when
compared to N1.1 trillion.
While insisting that a time-frame for
payments must be attached to further agreements being made by the
federal government with the union, the national president also said
evidence of payment must also be made, adding that all that have been
done are mere verbal speeches.
He said,”Yes, we took the proposal to
our members and we are preparing feedback reports and by tomorrow
(today), the federal government will get the union’s response.
“Our
members said the amount is just too small and far from what was
expected or envisaged. Our members are willing to shift grounds
concerning the strike but they emphasised that they will not take
tokenism.
“Is what we are asking for too much? What we are asking
for is not too much. Why can’t the government give us one tranche of
the five outstanding tranches for revitalisation? Why can’t the
government pay the sum of N220 billion in each quarter and spread it
over a period of five quarters? Remember that the issue of the Earned
Academic Allowance is there.
“We are asking for a collaboration
and confirmation of payment when it is done because evidence of payment
is necessary. Government has been failing in its promises and so, we are
calling for a timeline as regards payment. What we even have so far is a
verbal statement as we are yet to see evidence of payment.”
On
the issue of reversing its agreement on the participation of its members
in the forthcoming general elections, Ogunyemi said there was no
reversal whatsoever as members are permitted to join in the
preparations.
He, however, said that the union, contrary to past
arrangements, will not be able to recommend its members to the electoral
body but have permitted them to participate based on personal
discretion, as the union stands for democracy and its tenets.
“There
was no u-turn to the agreement that members are free to participate in
the general elections. What we said is that ASUU will not recommend
people but members are free to participate. We will not be able to do
for them what we were doing before.
“We didn’t stop our members
from working with INEC. They are free to do so but on their own decision
and freewill. That means personal discretion will be applied. After all
the strike is not against INEC, neither is it against democracy or
against the country. We will do everything possible to support the
elections.”
While empathising with Nigerian students over the
negative effects of the strike, Ogunyemi disclosed that once the federal
government does what is expected of it, the strike will be called off
within days.
Source:- Thisdaylive
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