at the expiration of the 9 December ultimatum, the Federal
Government has summoned all Vice Chancellors of federal and state universities to a crucial meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
Also invited to the meeting were members of the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) On Needs
Assessment Report for inauguration. The Academic Staff
Union of Universities, ASUU, has a representative in the
IMC.
A statement signed by the Executive Secretary, National
Universities Commission, Professor Julius Okojie, on behalf
of the Supervising Minister of Education, Barrister Nyeson Wike, published in a national daily today, called on Vice Chancellors to come to the meeting with a list of their prioritised projects based on Needs Assessment Report for funding.
"In addition, Vice Chancellors of state universities must come along with with their account details," the statement added. It is not clear whether the meeting was called to disburse the N200b the government said it had deposited in an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, which ASUU is
insisting must be communicated to it formally.
The President, ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagge Isa, said the lecturers
were not moved by the N200 billion that the federal
Government announced that it had deposited in the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
In an interview in the current edition of The NEWS magazine,
Isa explained that the union was deceived in the past. "In
January 2012, when the Secretary to the Government [Anyim Pius Anyim] of the Federation was dictating that MoU, he told us that they had already set N100 billion aside and that once we finished the Needs Assessment report, the money would be made available for the commencement of implementation of the revitalisation of universities. That is almost two years ago.
"A survey of the various campuses of the nation's universities
this morning revealed that members of ASUU have defied
Federal Government directive that they should return to work.
At the University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Oyo State,
Lagos State University, Ojo, University of Benin, Edo State,
lecturers stuck to their guns and refused to attend classes.
Though non-academic staff were seen at UNILAG working, the classes were deserted.
One place that witnessed considerable human presence was
the University's Sport Centre, where lecturers were seen doing some work-outs. A lecturer who spoke with newsmen said: "No lecturer is paying attention to the rubbish the Federal Government is doing."
The Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Social Sciences said
they would frustrate any move by the government and its
agents on campus to compel them to work. It was learnt the
university authorities last Friday directed all faculties to hold
the faculty board studies meeting in anticipation of resumption, but no faculty member complied. Last week, the
Unilag Chapter of ASUU held its congress in which the lecturers decided to continue with the strike.
Dr. Karo Ogbinaka, UNILAG ASUU Chairman, said
"members are resolute and believe in the position of the
union."UI dares FG At the University of Ibadan (UI), the
situation was the same. No single lecturer was found in the
classes. NE went round some departments and found out that
no lecturer signed the register for resumption in their
departments.
Most of the lecturers who spoke to our correspondent on
phone said that they were not scared by the threat of the
Federal Government to sack them.
They urged the Federal Government to quickly answer their
requests. Last week, the school authority sent a memo to all
the provosts and deans that any lecturer who failed to comply
with the directive of the government to resume would be sacked.
In Benin, Chairman of UNIBEN ASUU, Dr. Anthony Monye-Emina, said members of the branch will continue with the strike until directed otherwise by the national secretariat. "We are disregarding the ultimatum and threat of sack by the federal government. We are still on strike and none of our members has signed any register to resume work.
We will continue with the strike until otherwise directed by
the national secretariat of the Union," Monye-Emina said. The
university campus was devoid of the usual heavy human traffic as only few teaching staff, few students, mostly medical students and non-teaching staff, were seen going about their different businesses. The Public Relations Officer of UNIBEN, Barr. Harrison Osarenren, could not be reached on his mobile phone for comment as it was switched off.
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