ASUU declares strike in Nigerian university amidst controversy

The declaration of an indefinite onslaught by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja section has stirred contention among the national members.

The chairperson of the branch, Sylavnus Ugoh, announced that ASUU members are embarking connected a “total, broad and indefinite strike” starting from Thursday. He said the determination to embark connected the onslaught was decided by the national astatine a legislature held earlier connected Thursday.

“Of course, the trustees and the main officers of our national person to springiness america support to embark connected strike, and that’s wherefore we state the onslaught today,” helium told PREMIUM TIMES successful a telephone interview.

He noted that the onslaught was sanctioned by some the UniAbuja legislature and the union’s nationalist enactment and committee of trustees.

Why strike?

The national person said ASUU has 5 contentious issues with the university, which helium noted the institution’s absorption has failed to resoluteness contempt repeated engagement.

Mr Ugoh accused the assemblage absorption of taking decisions specifically reserved for the governing assembly adjacent erstwhile determination is none.

He said the advertisement for the presumption of vice-chancellor to win the incumbent, Abdulrasheed NaAllah, a professor, is illegal, insisting that it negates the Establishment Act of the university.

President Bola Tinubu had dissolved the governing councils of respective agencies of the Nigerian authorities including the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

ASUU-UniAbuja besides accused the assemblage absorption of recruiting and promoting unit without pursuing owed process.

Controversy

Meanwhile, immoderate members of ASUU connected the field person disclaimed the strike, accusing the Mr Ugoh-led national of not acting successful bully faith.

The faction of the national led by Umar Kari and Mohammed Yisa, said successful a connection that each the issues raised by Mr Ugoh had been addressed.

“Obviously, the cabal dictating to Dr Ugoh-led section ASUU desperately wanted a onslaught to fulfill their idiosyncratic involvement but ne'er the successful the involvement of larger ASUU members and the assemblage of Abuja,” the connection reads successful parts.

The assemblage spokesperson, Habib Yakoob, however, explained that some the advertisement for the relation of vice-chancellor and the promotions were approved by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, a professor.

Issues successful contention

Mr Ugoh accused the existent absorption of the assemblage of shortchanging ASUU successful the constitution of the UniAbuja Microfinance Bank.

He said ASUU had, since 2017, paid the assemblage absorption to bargain shares successful the microfinance bank, stressing that the national is some a stakeholder and a shareholder successful the project.

“The University Governing Council arsenic of 2017 gave america a spot wherever we person a seat successful the committee of directors and to person a shareholder capacity, which we already paid for since 2017,” helium told our newsman connected Thursday.

But the assemblage precocious wrote ASUU to pass it that the national is nary longer a shareholder and has nary spot arsenic a subordinate of the committee of directors, helium said.

“We person engaged the vice-chancellor connected this. We adjacent wrote to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to notify it. But it seems (the university) is inactive going up to proceed the process, which is what the governing assembly had already resolved, and written to america formally years earlier the existent vice-chancellor came connected board. And we person had a solution to that effect, drafting the attraction of the assemblage medication to that but the absorption refused to crushed with us.”

The national besides accused the assemblage absorption of embarking connected respective acts of illegality which, according to it, see kickstarting the process of appointing different VC, recruitment of implicit 200 unit and the promotion of others.

“There are astir 5 large issues successful contention. The archetypal 1 was the advertorial that was illegally placed for the vacancy of the station of vice-chancellor without pursuing owed process. Right present there’s nary governing assembly successful spot and the Act of the assemblage states intelligibly that it is lone the assemblage governing assembly that has the work to prosecute and occurrence and successful this lawsuit adjacent to advertise for the station of the vice-chancellor,” helium said.

He added that the existent absorption of the instauration has failed to adhere to the rules of the assemblage which dictates that the presumption of deans of faculties should beryllium by predetermination and the victor is expected to beryllium successful bureau for 2 years.

The national accused the assemblage vice-chancellor of arbitrarily appointing persons into these positions without elections. According to the union, determination person been nary elections for the dean positions for much than 2 years.

“We person written respective letters. Not one, not two, not three, not 4 connected this issue. But the administration’s squad remained adamant and we person to property location due to the fact that it’s an enactment of illegality,” Mr Ugoh added.

He added that the assemblage has recruited much than 200 persons and promoted galore others without advertisement oregon support of the council.

“We drew the attraction of the assemblage medication to that anomaly. We expected that they would person made a recourse but they went up to beforehand radical and by that, we are not definite of the criteria for the promotion. And due to the fact that the Council is not successful place, it is illegality upon illegality.”

Opposition to strike

Meanwhile, immoderate members of the national led by Umar Kari and Mohammed Yisa person opposed the determination to embark connected an concern action.

A connection signed by Messrs Kari and Yisa noted that the declaration of the indefinite onslaught was “fraught with patterns unusual to ASUU’s declaration of onslaught action.”

They accused the striking faction of the national of misrepresentation and having a sectional involvement successful declaring the strike.

According to the statement, the vice-chancellor had released the timetable for the predetermination of deans successful a mode that volition not cripple the assemblage activities, particularly the ongoing students’ first-semester examination.

The connection noted that 4 substantive deans person been elected and the predetermination continues with the module of instrumentality adjacent Tuesday portion others follow.

“If the ground for the onslaught was genuinely astir the predetermination of deans, would an indefinite onslaught facilitate the process oregon enactment it acold off?” the connection said.

In an advertorial for the presumption of vice-chancellor, the duo said the assemblage is not the lone Nigerian assemblage that has advertised for the presumption without governing councils.

“The question begging the caput of everyone, unit and the nationalist is wherefore would ASUU, the University of Abuja alone, proceed connected indefinite onslaught erstwhile the assemblage of Maiduguri, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, ATBU Bauchi, and others prolong the sanctity of unchangeable world calendar connected their campuses contempt advertisement for VC positions,” the connection said.

The connection besides stated that ASUU had connected 15 April received a letter, re-allocating a subordinate to the national successful the projected UniAbuja Microfinance Bank.

The connection added that the Minister of Education monitors and approves the promotion process arsenic directed by the visitor, President Bola Tinubu.

The connection further said: “This was a process followed by each different national universities successful the promotion process since councils were dissolved. The aforesaid process earned the assemblage chapter’s chairman, vice president and caput of ASUU, elevation.

“Describing the recruitment process duly approved by the Federal Government arsenic amerciable came arsenic a rude daze to Congress arsenic it is not known astatine immoderate clip that it is the ASUU section executives that o.k. appointments of deserving caller unit into the system. With the expanding demands for much module members to capable the evident shortages, should a genuine world national that is desirous of unfettered prime acquisition wage warfare against filling module positions?

“We vehemently request that ASUU indispensable enactment for ASUU and not a hidden cabal that is retired to instrumentality the University of Abuja backmost to the inglorious yesteryears. A determination to spell connected an indefinite onslaught without astatine immoderate constituent seeking members of ASUU’s ballot for, oregon against, is perfectly not the ASUU process for calling a strike. So, the alleged onslaught remains unrepresentative of the larger members of ASUU and cannot stand.”

University speaks

Meanwhile, the assemblage spokesperson, Mr Yakub noted that recruitment for the presumption of the vice-chancellor and promotion of immoderate unit was approved by the acquisition minister.

“The university’s constituent is clear. The advert was placed successful the paper connected the authorization and support of the Minister of Education who has besides approved immoderate promotions,” helium said successful a telephone speech connected Thursday.

“The assemblage is not going to get grounded due to the fact that determination is nary assembly successful the past mates of months.”

Qosim Suleiman is simply a newsman astatine Premium Times successful concern with Report for the World, which matches section newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to study connected under-covered issues astir the globe