The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Port Harcourt Branch, in its Congress held today at the ASUU Secretariat, Delta Park Campus, reached an agreement that its members are ready to resume the suspended strike action.
Recall, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), had said its members in Universities across the country would embark on another strike soon, should the Federal Government fail to implement the Memorandum of Action it signed with the Union.
The ASUU Chairman at University of Port Harcourt, Comrade Uzoma Darlington Chima, told the Press that the strike action is geared towards moving the hand of the Federal Government to implement the agreement made with them before the suspension of the last strike action in December, 2020.
While asking Nigerians to hold the Government accountable, he stated, “it is quite disheartening to note that, the Government outrightly disregarded concerted effort made by different stakeholders including Students Union Bodies, Civil Society Organizations, Religious and Opinion leaders and other patriotic Nigerians who had persuaded Government to address all outstanding issues in the 2020 MoA.”
This agreement includes the signing/implementation of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, the replacement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) with the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), and the amendment of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Act to check the indiscriminate establishment of more state universities by State Governors, in spite of the gross underfunding of the existing ones.
Also, the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement which focuses on conditions of service, funding, University autonomy and academic freedom which, according to the agreement has been due for renegotiation since 2012, is yet to be renegotiated and a new agreement signed.
Chima, further stated that the introduction of IPPIS has badly affected the finances of lecturers as they are paid inconsistent sums as salaries.
The statement read in part, “Our Union rejected IPPIS on the grounds that it is not robust and flexible enough to capture and accommodate the peculiarities of a University system.
“This has drastically affected the lecturers whose income is barely enough for their survival and the upkeep of their families.
“The recent report published by the Auditor-General of the Federation, exposed the loopholes and fraud associated with the IPPIS, which underscore the need for the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), a more robust Payment System which our Union developed for the University System, free of charge”, he said.
Similarly, the Port Harcourt Zonal Coordinator Stanley Ogoun, during Congress stated, “ASUU is having its National Executive Council meeting at the University of Lagos on February 12 and 13. If nothing is done by the Government between now and then, the lecturers may go on strike.”
However, the Chairman, during the Press Conference noted, these are their reasons for intending to embark on another strike as the Government has disregarded all efforts to persuade them to address all outstanding issues.
“We are tired of empty promises by the Government and are now ready to resume the suspended strike.”
