ASUU declares strike at Nigerian university amid controversy

The declaration of an indefinite strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja chapter, has sparked controversy among members of the union.

Section President Sylavnus Ugoh announced that ASUU members will embark on a “total, comprehensive and indefinite strike” starting Thursday. He said the decision to embark on the strike was taken by the union at a conference held earlier on Thursday.

“Of course, the administrators and senior leaders of our union have to give us permission to go on strike, and that is why we declared it today,” he told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview.

He noted that the strike was sanctioned by both the UniAbuja congress and the national leadership and board of directors of the union.

Why go on strike?

The union leader said ASUU has five contentious issues with the university, which he noted the management of the institution has failed to resolve despite repeated commitments.

Ugoh accused the university management of making decisions specifically reserved for the governing council, even when there is none.

He said the advertisement for the post of vice-chancellor to succeed the incumbent, Abdulrasheed NaAllah, a professor, is illegal, insisting that it negates the university’s Establishment Law.

President Bola Tinubu had dissolved the government councils from various Nigerian government agencies including universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

ASUU-UniAbuja also accused the university management of recruiting and promoting staff without following due process.

Controversy

Meanwhile, some ASUU members on campus have denied the strike, accusing the Ugoh-led union of not acting in good faith.

The union faction led by Umar Kari and Mohammed Yisa said in a statement that all issues raised by Ugoh had been addressed.

“Obviously, the local ASUU ruling clique led by Dr. Ugoh desperately wanted a strike to satisfy their personal interests but never the interest of the senior members of ASUU and the university of Abuja,” the statement reads. statement in parts.

University spokesperson Habib Yakoob explained, however, that both the call for the position of rector and the promotions were approved by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, a professor.

Disputed issues

Ugoh accused the current management of the university of defrauding ASUU in the establishment of the UniAbuja Microfinance Bank.

He said ASUU, since 2017, had paid the university management to buy shares in the microfinance bank, highlighting that the union is both a stakeholder and shareholder in the project.

“The Governing Council of the University as of 2017 gave us a place to have a seat on the board of directors and have shareholder quality, which we have already paid since 2017,” he told our reporter on Thursday.

But the university recently wrote to ASUU to inform it that the union is no longer a shareholder and has no place as a board member, he said.

“We have involved the vice-chancellor in this. We even wrote to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to notify it. But it seems that (the university) is still moving forward to continue the process, which is what the governing council had already resolved and had formally written to us years before the current rector came on board. And we have had a resolution in that regard, drawing the attention of the university administration about it, but the management refused to reason with us.”

The union also accused the university management of undertaking several acts of illegality which, according to it, include initiating the appointment process of another VC, hiring more than 200 employees and promoting others.

“There are about five major issues in dispute. The first was the advertorial that was illegally placed for the vacancy of the post of vice-chancellor without following due process. At this time there is no governing council and the university law clearly states that it is only the governing council of the university that has the responsibility of hiring and firing and, in this case, even of announcing the position of rector. , said. saying.

He added that the current management of the institution has not respected the university’s rules that dictate that the position of dean of faculties must be by election and the winner is expected to remain in office for two years.

The union accused the university president of arbitrarily appointing people to these positions without elections. According to the union, elections for dean positions have not been held for more than two years.

“We have written several letters. Not one, not two, not three, not four on this topic. But the administration team stood firm and we have to put pressure because it is an act of illegality,” Ugoh added.

He added that the university has hired more than 200 people and promoted many others without publicity or board approval.

“We drew the attention of the university administration to this anomaly. We were hoping they would have filed an appeal, but they went ahead with promoting people and so we are not sure of the criteria for promotion. And since the Council is not in its place, there is illegality after illegality.”

Opposition to the strike

Meanwhile, some members of the union led by Umar Kari and Mohammed Yisa have opposed the move to go on an industrial strike.

A statement signed by Messrs Kari and Yisa noted that the indefinite strike declaration was “riddled with patterns foreign to ASUU’s strike declaration”.

They accused the striking faction of the union of misrepresentation and having a sectional interest in calling the strike.

According to the statement, the rector published the schedule for the election of deans in a manner that does not paralyze university activities, particularly the first semester exams of current students.

The statement noted that four substantive deans have been elected and the election continues with the law school next Tuesday while others follow.

“If the basis of the strike was genuinely the election of deans, would an indefinite strike facilitate the process or delay it?” the statement said.

In an advertorial for the position of vice-chancellor, the duo said the university is not the only Nigerian university that has advertised for the position without government councils.

“The question that arises in the minds of everyone, staff and the public is why would ASUU, the University of Abuja alone, proceed with an indefinite strike when the university of Maiduguri, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, ATBU Bauchi and others uphold the sanctity of stability. academic calendar on their campuses despite advertisements for VC positions,” the statement said.

The statement also stated that ASUU had on April 15 received a letter reassigning a union member in the proposed UniAbuja Microfinance Bank.

The statement added that the Minister of Education supervises and approves the promotion process as directed by the visitor, President Bola Tinubu.

The statement further said: “This was a process followed by all other federal universities in the promotion process since the councils were dissolved. The same process earned him promotion to university chapter president, vice president and ASUU secretary.

“Describing the recruitment process duly approved by the Federal Government as illegal was a severe blow to Congress as it is not known at any point whether it is the local ASUU executives who approve the appointments of new deserving personnel in the system. With growing demands for more faculty members to meet the glaring shortage, should a genuine academic union desiring unfettered quality education wage war on faculty tenure?

READ ALSO: ASUU chapter seeks reconstitution of governing councils of federal universities

“We vehemently demand that ASUU works for ASUU and not for a hidden cabal seeking to take the University of Abuja back to the ignominious years of yore. The decision to go on an indefinite strike without ever seeking a vote of ASUU members for or against, is not at all ASUU’s procedure for calling a strike. Therefore, the so-called strike remains unrepresentative of the larger members of ASUU and cannot be sustained.”

the university speaks

Meanwhile, the university spokesperson, Mr. Yakub, said the Education Minister approved the recruitment for the post of chancellor and the promotion of some staff.

“The university’s point of view is clear. The advertisement was placed in the newspaper with the authority and approval of the Minister of Education, who also approved some promotions,” he said in a telephone conversation on Thursday.

“The university is not going to be punished because there has been no advice in recent months.”

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter for Premium Times in association with Report for the World, which pairs local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the world.