ASUU said the Federal Government has declared war against lecturers using weapons of forced labour, hunger, and starvation through non-payment of seven months' salaries.
The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ebonyi State University Chapter, Comrade Ikechuku Igwenyi, has described the court judgement mandating public universities' lecturers to return to the classrooms as a declaration of war by the Federal Gi
Government against members of ithe union.
Court orders strike suspension: It was reported that the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) had ordered ASUU to immediately call off the ongoing strike and return to classrooms.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Polycarp Hamman on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, the court held that the strike was a breach of Section 18(1)(2) of the Trade Disputes Act, which prohibits their action.
FG waging war on lecturers: Reacting to the court ruling in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, on Thursday, September 22, 2022, Igwenyi noted that it's now difficult to predict the end of the impasse since the Federal Government had taken the legal route.
He also criticised the attempt by the government to impose "the fraudulent payment platform," IPPIS, on universities workers without integrity test by the NITDA.
Igwenyi's word in part: “When a matter leaves the round and peaceful negotiation table to the Court, it becomes difficult to predict the possible end of the imbroglio. It has therefore become obvious that the Federal Government of Nigeria has clearly declared war against academic staff in Nigerian Federal Universities using the weapons of forced labour, hunger and starvation through non-payment of outstanding 7 months’ salaries.
rather than confront the main issues with the urgency they demand, the Federal Government has been introducing obnoxious diversionary and distractive policies to divert the focus of ASUU from objective positions of the union to frivolities.
“The introduction of IPPIS and imposing the fraudulent payment platform on universities workers without integrity testing by NITDA and the current no work, no pay policy are clear indications of unwillingness to implement the agreements FGN willingly signed in 1981, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2009 and the several Memoranda of Understanding of 2013 and 2017 with the Memoranda of Action of 2019 and 2020. There were also two concluded reports that were submitted by Federal Government’s inaugurated Renegotiation Committee led by Prof. Muzali Jubril in 2021 and Emeritus Prof. Nimi Dimkpa Briggs without any consideration.
“It is therefore not surprising that while the Government inaugurated committee had submitted their report to their principal and waiting for the outcome and approval of a job well done, the Federal Minister of Education came up with a “take it or leave it” salary award that is not in tandem with collective bargaining principles, which also negates the FGN/ASUU Agreement of 1981. rather than confront the main issues with the urgency they demand, the Federal Government has been introducing obnoxious diversionary and distractive policies to divert the focus of ASUU from objective positions of the union to frivolities.
“The introduction of IPPIS and imposing the fraudulent payment platform on universities workers without integrity testing by NITDA and the current no work, no pay policy are clear indications of unwillingness to implement the agreements FGN willingly signed in 1981, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2009 and the several Memoranda of Understanding of 2013 and 2017 with the Memoranda of Action of 2019 and 2020. There were also two concluded reports that were submitted by Federal Government’s inaugurated Renegotiation Committee led by Prof. Muzali Jubril in 2021 and Emeritus Prof. Nimi Dimkpa Briggs without any consideration.
“It is therefore not surprising that while the Government inaugurated committee had submitted their report to their principal and waiting for the outcome and approval of a job well done, the Federal Minister of Education came up with a “take it or leave it” salary award that is not in tandem with collective bargaining principles, which also negates the FGN/ASUU Agreement of 1981.
Recall that the same government had set up a 14-man committee to review the Prof Nimi Briggs Committee report and while the committee is still at work, the Federal Minister of Labour and Productivity took the matter to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, because he informed that it was not the Federal Government that took ASUU to Court.”
Govt vows to reopen universities the Federal Government has vowed to instruct vice-chancellors to reopen universities for academic activities.
This message was conveyed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in a statement to newsmen on the night of Wednesday, September 21, 2022.
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