By Aiyeku Timothy
Nigerian Universities have been on strike since March 9, 2020 after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) gave orders to the schools to close until the Federal Government meet their demands.
Several deadlock meetings have been held between the two parties over the past eight months with the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, leading the delegation of the Federal Government.
The strike started with a two weeks warning as ASUU protested the non-payment of salary to lecturers that refused to follow the Federal Government integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS). The lecturers argue against the IPPIS as they want the government to integrate the University Transparency Accountability Solutions (UTAS) developed by the union.
Nigeria’s minister for labour and employment, Dr Chris Ngige has described the strike as “illegal.”
In October, after a meeting between the union and federal government, there was an agreement to pay ASUU N30bn which would be disbursed in batches between May 2021 and February 2022.
The FG also agreed to release N20bn revitalisation fund to help the education sector but the move was not enough to get ASUU back to work as they insist on their N110 billion demands, a development that could linger the strike as the government is also being affected by the economic downturn.
In the meeting held between the two parties on November 20, the federal government decided to shift ground as they agreed to issue the sum of N65 billion to ASUU. They also agreed to pay lecturers the unpaid salaries through their old payment platform, GIFMIS, and not the IPPIS.
Social commentators have failed to come in terms with the insistence of ASUU, especially now that the government have accepted to meet some of their demands.
When two elephants fight, the grass is at the receiving end. The Nigerian students have been made to stay at home for about eight months and it is yet to be seen if the strike is in their interest or that of the lecturers.
There are many questions are begging for answers; how sincere is ASUU on their demands and the FG on their promise? How much of impact will be seen on the Nigerian Universities when their demands are met?
Three parties are fully affected by this strike – the FG, ASUU and the students, who are at the receiving end. The government bears the burden of having Nigerian youths redundant while they have to pay salaries of lecturers even when they have not worked for it as they have been on strike.
On the part of the lecturers, their demands are still not met and there are no chances they will be given their wish as rifts between the government and ASUU have existent for many years.
Nigerian students also have a lot to lose in the ongoing strike as many would be delayed in their academics and left redundant. At the end of the day, none of the parties involved would gain from the strike action.
Painfully, it is reported that the FG, through the Minister of Labour have begun the process of registering a rival union, Congress of University Academics (CONUA).
On November 19, Chris Ngige officially received members of the new union. This move is no way in the interest of the students as the government’s effort may further divide ASUU which makes it more complicated and far from having the students return to the lecture halls anytime soon.
