On February 14, 2022, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) announced the commencement of three months warning strike as its cause of action against the Federal Government’s failure to implement the 2020 Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) it signed with ASUU.
In May 2022, ASUU extended its three months old strike by another 12 weeks stating it was to give the government more time “to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues”.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has consistently shown an apathetic attitude towards the education sector by its grossly mishandling of the impasse with ASUU and has persistently fielded incompetent and unbothered ministers to lead the negotiations with ASUU.
ASUU had argued that their cause of action followed the failure by the government to implement the 2020 MoA which both parties signed including the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution for the payment of salaries and allowances, the release of Earned Academic Allowances for lecturers, improved welfare and academic autonomy, among others.
The government has declared that it does not have the funds to fulfil its commitment of N200 billion yearly budget to revitalize public universities, yet, the same government appropriates and spends billions of naira yearly on frivolities via their blotted budgetary allocations to maintain public officers.
The fact that the national leadership is busy immersing itself in politicking while the doors of learning in the tertiary education system remain shut only shows how much of a priority education, and by extension the welfare of the youth, is to the present administration.
With half of one academic session already lost to the strike, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors has raised concerns that the strike would delay the 2022 admission processes. This means that the teaming Nigerian teens and youth who are busy with their O’ level examinations will likely have to stay at home and automatically lose one academic session before gaining admission into the universities.
Since ASUU strike began, the Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions had commenced its own on April 14, 2022, while the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) sent a warning to commence strike in the coming weeks. Almost all the public tertiary institution unions in the country are presently on strike.
The Federal Government has to act quickly to end the impasse, fulfil its obligations and get the Universities reopened without further delay.
It is against this backdrop that Global Rights is collaborating with leadership with student bodies, parents, members of the civil society community, and interested individuals to lead a movement on “Operation Open the Universities” with the hashtag #NoSchoolNoElection.
The aim is to amplify the voices of the students and their parents as well as build a pushback against government’s nonchalant attitude towards education in the country.
We are beginning this campaign with a Twitter Space conversation scheduled to hold this Tuesday, June 21, 2022, by 8pm (Nigeria Time) where students’ leadership and critical parents’ voices will be held on how the perennial strike action is hurting both students and parents alike.
We shall also be hearing from civil society experts and key leadership of ASUU at the Space conversation on how to get the government reopen the universities with further delay.
