BREAKING NEWS: ASUU Postpones NEC Meeting To January 15, 2014 Over Death Of Former President

As expected, the death of one time ASUU president Prof. Festus Iyayi has paused the decision making process. Iyayi who before his death was the Head of the department of Business Administration, University of Benin and also one of negotiating team of ASUU.

It was reported that they were on the way to Bayero University Kano, where the decision was to be taken when his vehicle and one of the vehicles in the convoy of Kogi state Governor, Captain Idris Wada (Rtd) collided.

Reporter Times gathered from a reliable source that Iyayi's death causes ASUU to postpone NEC meeting to January 15th, 2014.

Iyayi who was in company of Benin Zonal coordinator of the union, Dr. Sunny Iyalo; the National welfare officer, Dr. Ngozi Ilo and University of Benin chairman of ASUU, Dr. Anthony Monye-Emina was the only one that died as Ilo was badly injured and presently receiving treatment in Lokoja General Hospital. The remaining two only escaped with minor wounds.

Eye witnesses said this ill-fated accident happened at Banda, a village close to Lokoja and neither the government nor any of the vehicles in his convoy stopped to check what had happened.

Although the Special Adviser to Kogi State governor on Media and Strategy, Mr. Jacob Edi denied the accusation claiming that he did not only stop at the scene but also ordered the medical personnel in the ambulance in the convoy to attend to the victims.

ReporterTimes

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BREAKING NEWS: ASUU President Dies In Ghastly Motor Accident

News reaching has it that few hours ago, the former President of ASUU, FESTUS IYAYI was involved in fatal car accident along Lokoja in Kogi and he was confirmed dead.

He was on his way to national congress of ASUU in Kano before he met his untimely death… more as the event unfolds…

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Return To Class, Jonathan Begs ASUU

President Goodluck Jonathan has pleaded with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to stop being  adamant over their protracted strike and return to classrooms for the sake of the students who, he said, were the worst hit by the industrial action. He made the appeal when he commissioned the  three-storey College of Engineering Complex in the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Ekiti State, named after him.

Jonathan has also cautioned the union not to abuse the freedom of association and the right of workers to go on strike or even use it to the detriment of the nation, just as he noted that whatever the grievances the striking workers have, keeping students out of school for four months is quite unpatriotic. He said, "I once again appeal to the entire membership of ASUU to pause and ponder on the adverse effect of their action on the future of the vibrant youths of this great nation. The collective destiny of tens of thousands of tomorrow's leaders should not be held hostage to vagaries of labour disputes. As long as we are humans, as long as we are a developing society, this labour dispute must come up.

"I believe that labour has the right to go on strike, but in that strike, any action taken must be built on patriotic zeal. In as much as you can go on strike, you must be patriotic to our country. No matter how and what you feel about Mr. President and the federal government, I plead with ASUU that for the sake of our students, they should resume classes."
The President noted that while four months would have been enough for the striking academics to drive home their point on their grievances against government, keeping the students beyond four months which is equal to a whole semester raises suspicion of an ulterior motive on the part of the union.
He said: "If it is a genuine strike, keeping students out of classrooms for almost four months, by that they have demonstrated to everybody that they have a case. And if the strike is motivated by some other interests, they have also achieved that by keeping students out of schools for more than a semester.

"I always says that even in the developed societies, we hear about labour dispute and there is no society, even the most developed that has provided the facilities for every worker.
Our security services, the Police, the Armed Forces, Navy, Air Force and paramilitary, intelligent services are also operating in an environment that is not the best.
"If all of us should go on long strike because our environment is not optimum, then, definitely we can never get the Nigeria of our dream. So, let me use this unique opportunity that I am interfacing with our future leaders, our students, to plead with ASUU members to return to class."

President Jonathan promised that his administration will continue to work with all Nigerians to build a better country for all and future generation,  maintaining that as long government had shown commitment to improving the qualities of infrastructure in the universities and the operating environment, ASUU should reconsider its stance.
He argued further that if students of private universities could get their degrees within three and a half years as witnessed in ABUAD, "it is unacceptable that students of public institutions are kept for extra one or two years."
Congratulating the founder and President of ABUAD, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) for building for the country such a magnificient citadel of learning, Jonathan said he was deeply humbled by the decision to name the College of Engineering of the institution building after him.

"It is often said that great minds leave great history behind them and this history is built on a very great vision. The vision of Aare Afe Babalola, founder of this promising institution is a noble one," he said.
Jonathan noted that historically, some of the greatest institutions of learning in the world were shaped by the vision, foresight and personal experience of their founders. He described Babalola as a man of "unassailable character, profound vision, an epitome of the highest ideals and a quintessential Nigerian patriot."

In his remarks, Afe Babalola, recalled that the university built some three and half years ago was worth over N60 billion in private investments and noted that with over 4000 students from 36 states of Nigeria and FCT, the institution is reputed to be the fastest growing private university in Africa.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said ABUAD is the second best private university in the country and the 14th best among all public and private universities in Nigeria, adding that his decision to invest in the education sector was informed by his firm belief that government cannot fund the sector alone.

Noting that the best universities in the world such as Oxford and Harvard are privately owned, Babalola said the naming of the College of Engineering of the institution after the president is in recognition of the immense contributions of the administration to the education sector. He also appealed to the President to intervene in the development of the Ekiti Airport, saying in-spite of the over N600 million approved by the federal government for the commencement of the project in 2011, nothing has happened at the site.

Governors who were present at the event were Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe) and the host governor, Kayode Fayemi. Also in attendance were Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade; Supervising Minister for Education, Nyesom Wike; Minister of State for FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide and Sen. Phillip Aduda (PDP-FCT).

The Sun

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#ASUUstrike Update: ASUU Rejects N600billion Offer From FG

ASUU has remained adamant and are maintaining that government implements the agreement they entered into with them in 2009 fully. The decision according to some quarters is political as it came during the time when government is willing and ready to keep disbursing N200 billion for the next 3 or 4 years.

More cash has been pledged for projects on the campuses aside the earned allowances due, to the teachers have been increased from the initial N30 billion offer. ASUU rejected the offer totally insisting on policy implementation claiming that they don’t trust this government.

N.B Both parties should be reminded that the strike has been on for more than four months and Nigerian students are tired of being at the receiving end… Consider that and do what is right.

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Download: ASUU-Federal Government 2009 Agreement

PREMIUM TIMES makes the much talked-about agreement public.
On the first day of July this year, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, began an indefinite strike that has lasted till date and may run deep into the future.
According to the union, the strike followed government's inability to keep to an October 2009 agreement reached by both parties.
The agreement was reached after two years of negotiation between the lecturers and a government team appointed by the then Education Minister, Obiageli Ezekwesili.
The Government team was led by the then Pro-chancellor, University of Ibadan, Gamaliel Onosode while ASUU's team was led by its then president, Abdullahi Sule-Kano.
The agreement reached at the negotiations included conditions of service for university lecturers, funding of universities, university autonomy and academic freedom, and issues that required legislation to implement.
Details of that agreement were held as confidential by both ASUU and the government, leaving the public to feed on crumbs of information thrown out at negotiation meetings between the two parties.
PREMIUM TIMES has now obtained a copy of the agreement and is now making it available for public viewing.
[Download a copy here.]
The agreement
The agreement included details such as the breakdown of lecturers' salary structure, staff loans, pension, overtime, and moderation of examinations.
Part of the agreement dwelt on funding of universities where both parties agreed that each federal university should get at least N1.5 trillion between 2009 and 2011 while state universities, within the same period, should receive N3.6 million per student.
The agreement also had parts that asked the re-negotiation committee to ensure that at least 26 percent of Nigeria's annual budget was allocated to education, and half of that allocation to universities.
The agreement also asked that the 2004 Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Act, and the National University Commission Act 2004, be amended.
Text of the suggested amendment bills – including suggestion for amendment of the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act 2004 – were provided in the agreements.
The agreement was signed by Bolanle Babalakin, the then chairman of Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Federal Universities; Gamaliel Onosode, chairman of the re-negotiation committee; and Ukachukwu Awuzei, the then president of ASUU.
The agreement demanded a heavy financial commitment from the government and was an adaptation of an earlier agreement reached in 2001.
It is unclear how much of the agreement have been implemented by the government. However, the secretary to the federation, Pius Anyim, after one of the recent failed negotiations, said that most of the issues contained in the 2009 agreement, had been fully met except for the earned allowances estimated at N92 billion.
"Some of the issues which bothered on amendment of pensionable retirement age of academics in the professorial cadre, consolidated peculiar allowances (CONPUAA)- exclusively for university teaching staff, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), setting up of budget monitoring committee in all public universities have been fully implemented," he disclosed.
ASUU Chairman, Nasir Fagge, could not be reached to confirm how much of the agreement have been implemented.

Premium Times

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NEWS: ASUU STRIKE - FG Finally Agrees To Meet ASUU’s Demands After Over 100 Days

Towards ending the ongoing ASUU strike, the Federal Government has committed to spending N200 billion in the 2014 budget on the universities as well as on each of the next three-four years until the universities are brought to world-class standard as demanded by ASUU leadership.

This is in addition to the N100 billion dedicated and already made available…Government has also increased to N40billion as a first installment, funds for payment of earned allowances to the striking lecturers, an improvement from the N30 billion previously released.

This information is contained in an internal statement at the Federal University of Otuoke by Professor Bolaji Aluko, its Vice-Chancellor.

On the earned allowances, Prof. Aluko said“Government will top it up with further releases once universities are through with the disbursement of this new figure of N40 million, so Vice-Chancellors are urged to expedite this disbursement within the shortest possible time using guiding templates that have been sent by the CVC.”

Professor Aluko said the development followed meetings on September 19 and Oct 11 of representatives of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, led by Prof. Hamisu of ATBU and ASUU reps led by its President, Dr. N. Fagge with the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Arc. Namadi. Sambo, Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike and others.

In the interest of peace, Vice-President Sambo appealed to ASUU to call off the strike and apologized over the“take-it-or-leave-it”comments made by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Other points of agreement at the meetings include the following:

Project Prioritization: Universities will now be allowed to determine their priorities and not be“rail-roaded”into implementing a pre-determined set of projects with respect to the NEEDS assessment. Decisions are not to be centralized.

TETFund Intervention: Government assured that the operations of the TETFund will not be impaired, and that the regular TETFund intervention disbursement to Universities will continue, unaffected. So the NEEDS assessment capital outlays are in addition to regular TETFund intervention.

Project Monitoring: A new Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) for the NEEDS Assessment intervention for universities has been set up to take over from the Suswan Committee. The new one is under the Federal Ministry of Education and chaired by the Honorable Minister of Education.

In addition, to build confidence and ensure faithful implementation and prevent any relapse as before, the Vice President will meet quarterly with the IMC to monitor progress.

Blueprint: ASUU was mandated to submit a blue print for revitalizing the Universities to the Vice President. ASUU leadership will now meet to decide if the government should be trusted again, this time.

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NEWS: 66 Reasons Why ASUU Went On Strike - Kayode Ogundamisi @Ogundamisi (Canary)

The real reasons behind ASUU strike!!! 

Dear President Jonathan this is why ASUU is on strike:


1. Less than 10% of the universities have Video Conferencing facility.
2. Less than 20% of the universities use Interactive Boards
3.More than 50% don’t use Public Address System in their lecture OVERCROWDED rooms/theatres.
4. Internet Services are non-existent,or epileptic and slow IN 99% of Nigerian Universities
5. Nigerian Universities Library resources are outdated and manually operated. Book shelves are homes to rats/cockroaches
6.No university library in Nigeria is fully automated. Less than 35% are partially automated.
7. 701 Development projects in Nigerian universities 163 (23.3%) are abandoned 538 (76.7%) are PERPETUALLY on-going projects.

Toilet IMSU, Owerri

Lab without Tools: 300 Level Biology and Biotechnology Class, Univ of Benin

8. Some of the abandoned projects in Nigerian univeristies are over 15 years old, some are over 40 years old.
9. 76% of Nigerian universities use well as source of water, 45% use pit latrine, 67% of students use bush as toilet
10. UNN and UDUS have the highest number of abandoned projects (22 and 16 respectively).
11. All NDDC projects across universities in Niger Delta States are abandoned. About 84.6% of them are students’ hostels
12. 77% of Nigerian universities can be classified as “Glorified Primary Schools” Laboratories are non existing
13. There are 8 on-going projects at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi. None of them is funded by the State Government
14. 80% of Nigerian Universities are grossly under-staffed
15. 78% of Nigerian Universities rely heavily on part-time and visiting lecturers
16. 88% of Nigerian Universities have under-qualified Academics

Kerosene Stoves as improvised Bunsen burners

Male Hostel (Malabo) Univ of Calabar

17. 90% of Nigerian Universities are bottom-heavy (with junior lecturers forming large chunk of the workforce)
18. Only 2% of Nigerian Universities attract expatriate lecturers, over 80% of Ghanian Universities attract same
19. 89% of Nigerian Universities have ‘closed’ (homogeneous staff – in terms of ethno-cultural background)
20. Based on the available data, there are 37,504 Academics in Nigerian Public Universities
21. 83% of the lecturers in Nigerian universities are male while 17% are female.
22. 23,030 (61.0%) of the lecturers are employed in Federal universities while 14,474 (39.0%) teach in State Universities.

Mechanical Engineering (Automobile) Workshop FUTO

Queuing for Water in Hostel (FUTO)

23. The teaching staff-students ratio is EMBARRASSINGLY very high in many universities
24. LECTURER STUDENT RATIO: National Open University of Nigeria 1:363 University of Abuja 1:122 Lagos State University 1:11
25. (Compare the above with Harvard 1:4; MIT 1:9; Yale 1:4, Cambridge 1:3; NUS 1:12; KFUPM 1:9; Technion 1:15).
26. Nigerian Universities Instead of having 100% Academics having PhDs, only about 43% do so. The remaining 57% have no PhDs
27. Nigerian University medical students trained in the most dangerous environment, some only see medical tools in books
28. Only 7 Nigerian Universities have up to 60% of their teaching staff with PhD qualifications
29. Photo of a typical lecture hall of MOST NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES
30. While majority of the universities in the country are grossly understaffed, a few cases present a pathetic picture

Simultaneous lectures going on in an Improvised Facility FUTO

Medical Centre, IMSU, Owerri

31. There are universities in Nigeria which the total number of Professors is not more than Five (5)
32. Kano University of Scienc andTechnology Wudil, established in 2001 (11 years old) only 1 Professor and 25 PhD holders.
33. Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero, established in 2006 has only 2 Professors and 5 PhDs
34. Ondo State University of Sci & Tech Okitipupa, established in 2008, has a total of 29 lecturers.
35. MAKE-SHIFT LECTURING SYSTEM: Out of a total of 37,504 lecturers, only 28,128 (75%) are engaged on full-time basis.
36. 9,376 (25%) Nigerian Lecturers are recycled as Visiting, Adjunct, Sabbatical and Contract lecturers.
37. In Gombe State University, only 4 out of 47 Profs are full-time and all 25 Readers are visiting
38. In Plateau State University, Bokkos, 74% of the lecturers are visiting.
39. In Kaduna State University, only 24 out of 174 PhD holders are full-time staff.
39. 700 EX-MILLITANTS in Nigeria are receiving more funds anualy than 20 Nigerian universities under ‘Amnesty Scam’
40. 80% of published journals by Nigerian University lectures have no visibility in the international knowledge community.

Chemistry Lab UNIMAID

41. No Nigerian academic is in the league of Nobel Laureates or a nominee of Nobel Prize.
42. There are only 2 registered patents owned by Nigerian Academics in the last 3 years.
43. Numerically more support staff in the services of Nigerian universities than the teaching staff they are meant to support
44. More expenditure is incurred in administration & routine functions than in core academic matters in Nigerian Universities
45. There are 77,511 full-time non-teaching staff in Nigeria’s public universities 2 Times number of academic staff
46. University of Benin, there are more senior staff in the Registrar cadre (Dep. Registrars, PARs, SARs) than Professors
47. Almost all the universities are over-staffed with non- teaching staff
48. There are 1,252,913 students in Nigerian Public Universities. 43% Female 57%Male
49. There is no relationship between enrollment and the tangible manpower needs of Nigeria.
50. Nigerian Uni Horrible hostel facilities, overcrowded, overstretched lavatory and laundry facilities, poor sanitation,etc
51. Except Nigerian Defence Acadamy Kaduna, no university in Nigeria is able to accommodate more than 35% of its students.
52. Some universities (e.g. MOUAU),female students take their bath in d open because d bathrooms are in very poor condition.
53. Laundries and common rooms in many universities have been converted into rooms where students live, in open prison style.
54. In most improvised cage called hostels in Nigerian Universities, there is no limit to the number of occupants.
55. Most State universities charge commercial rates for unfit and unsuitable hostel accommodation
56. In off-campus hostels, students are susceptible to extraneous influences and violence prostitution, rape, gang violence
57.Nigerian Univeristy Students sitting on bare floor or peeping through windows to attend lectures
58. Over 1000 students being packed in lecture halls meant for less than 150 students
59. Over 400 Nigerian University students being packed in laboratory meant for 75 students
60. Students use the bushy areas of their campus for toilet because lavatory facilities are too hazardous to use
60. University administrators Spend millions to erect super-gates when their Libraries are still at foundation level
61. Expend millions to purchase exotic vehicles for university officers even though they lack basic classroom furnishings
62. Spend hundreds of millions in wall-fencing and in-fencing when students accommodation is inadequate and in tatters
63. Govt interested in spending money on creation of new uni instead of consolidating and expanding access to existing ones
64. Govt keen to award new contracts rather than completing the abandoned projects or standardizing existing facilities
65. Govt Expend hundreds of millions paying visiting and part-time lecturers rather than recruiting full-time staff
66. Govt spending hundreds of millions in mundane administration cost instead of providing boreholes and power supplements.

Kayode Ogundamisi is a commentator on Nigerian and international affairs, he was involved in the Nigerian pro-democracy struggle, Ogundamisi survived a trumped up charge of treasonable offence against the military government of General Babangida, he was detained in Jos prison in 1991 and released after intensive local and international campaigns against the government charging him and 12 other students before a military tribunal. Ogundamisi was a frontline member of the National Association of Nigerian Student and a former secretary general of the the University of Jos Students Union in Nigeria and the O'dua Peoples Congress.

Visit his blog for more info on #WHYASUUSTRIKE: Kayode's Blog

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