Recently, the Federal Government of Nigeria inaugurated new committee to re-negotiate ASUU/FG 2009 agreement which has been the subject of strikes in the nation’s public owned ivory towers. In this report, TYOHEMBA HENRY examines the emergence of the committee in the face of clamour for stability in the nation’s ivory towers.
Arguably, the much talked about FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement has become a worn-out cliché as it appears almost on an annual basis with the attendant consequence of industrial disharmony in the nation’s varsities.
Indeed, the agreement which is viewed differently by both parties and to a large extent, some critical stakeholders, has continued to dominate discussions about the progress of the nation’s varsity education specifically and the growth and development of education in general.
But then of course, the history of elongated industrial conflicts between Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Federal Government of Nigeria since 2009 has been the subject of attraction in the higher education sector.
Of course, the agreement is at the bottom of notable industrial actions embarked upon by the ASUU owing to failure on the part of the Federal government to keep to the terms.
Sadly, the agreement has continued to latently affect the way and manner in which academic activities are run in the over 78 Federal and states government owned universities.
A carefully analysis of the agreement which was reached on how to rehabilitate and revitalize the universities, indicated that it also provided for a periodic review in every three years.
Normally, the review ought to have been done in 2012 and 2015 respectively. But then of course, the agreement in total sum, generated controversy with widespread calls for a renegotiation.
However, government’s delay in setting up its renegotiation team for the review of the agreement, as consistently requested by the union since 2012, has resulted into ASUU strikes cumulatively, over two years.
Essentially, the crux of the agreements centered on funding requirements for revitalizing the Nigeria universities, federal government assistance to state universities, and progressive increase of annual budgetary allocation of 26% to education from 2009 to 2020 fiscal years.
Other critical terms of the agreement bothers on amendment to the pension/retirement age of academics on professional cadre from 65-70 years, establishment of pension fund administrator and governing council, provision of adequate teaching and research equipment and transfer of federal government landed properties.
There is also the issue of Nigerian University Pension Fund Administrator (NUPEMCO) which formed part of the demands by ASUU.
But the reported failure or complacency on the side of the federal government to remain dutiful by sticking to implementation of these agreements has resulted into multiple strikes.
A chronology of the strikes indicated that there was four months strike in 2009, over five months in 2010, three months in 2011/2012, over six months in 2013 and a host of other minor warning strikes within the period, with the most recent one in the series of such worrisome strike being the one week warning strike embarked upon by the varsities lecturers sometimes in November 16, 2016, which as stated, like other previous ones, was to protest government’s failure in implementing the 2009 agreement.
But then, it appears the end to the controversies may be near as the federal government, perhaps in furtherance of its commitment to addressing the challenges of the education sector and importantly, ensure industrial stability in the sector especially at the varsity level, has constituted a renegotiation team under the chairmanship of Dr Wale Babalakin.
The Minister of education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who inaugurated the committee in Abuja, said it was done in demonstration of the government’s commitment to not only fulfilling its promises but ensuring the institutionalization of enduring legacy for the nation’s education sector especially the university education.
Adamu said the inauguration of the re-negotiation team is significant as it confirms to the union that government is committed to keeping its own side of the promise.
The chairman of the renegotiation committee, Dr. Wale Babalakin speaking on the inauguration assured that the panel would rise beyond expectations to the development of education in the country. He urged the 14 man committee to ensure the task is not underestimated.
Dr. Wale said; “A conducive environment in the tertiary institutions is the bedrock for development of nation’s intelligentsia. A nation’s development can be seriously enhanced by the active participation of the intelligence in the pursuit of the country’s developmental goals.
“We want to also assure that we intend to rise even beyond expectations for the furtherance of tertiary education in Nigeria.
This task should not be underestimated but with the commitment of all, we will provide a very serious enhancement for education in Nigeria,” he added.
Our correspondent reports that the nation’s varsities especially government owned are faced with myriads of challenges including inadequate accommodation and lecture rooms for students, inadequate office accommodation for lecturers and poor laboratories facilities.
Indeed, the need to address some of these challenges are at the heart of the struggle by the ASUU to ensure the federal government keep to the terms and condition of the 2009 agreement.
But even as the president Muhammadu Buhari led administration inaugurated the renegotiation committee, some experts in the education sector wondered why it took government this long to set up the renegotiation team.
Specifically, the experts decried what they termed as delayed decision in inaugurating the committee and hope the government desire to finally set up the committee, nine years after the initial agreement was signed in 2009 will put an end to the issue once and for all.
In an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday, Professor Wilfred S. Tile, lecturer at the University of Abuja, said the government’s final acceptance to review the 2009 ASUU/FG agreement is indeed a step in the right direction.
“The problem of strike or labour unrest is not only characteristics of the universities system. It existed in all the other aspect of the labour force. The resident doctors has had problem with the state including the petroleum union and some other organizations.
“Why that of ASUU is very important is that education is the key to any development. Japan for instance has used education to build intellect and advance in technology and they have been able to stabilize their economy. So education is very fundamental to growth both economically and in other forms of human endeavor.
He encouraged the Dr. Wale Babalakin led committee to do justice to the review, without necessarily siding with either ASUU or government so that the Nigeria’s educational system will be place high.
He said it was too early to pass any judgment on the 14 man committee since the committee is yet to go into full action let alone making any recommendations.
According to him, “We cannot put the cat before the horse. Until they have done the assignment and submitted the report and government has rated the report, we can say that Dr. Wale’s panel has done a great job either in support of ASUU stand point or in support of the state.
“The committee should look critically into the demands such that both parties go home with smiles on their faces,” he said.
While commenting on the issue of Nigerian University Pension Fund Administrator (NUPEMCO) as demanded by ASUU, Prof. Tile cautioned the committee to act with wittiness. He said the issue of NUPEMCO which the universities wanted under the 2009 agreement will rather create chaos in the university system.
“They wanted federal government to fund its pension administrator but in my own point of view, universities are rejecting the existing pension fund administrator for their own independent one, which will again bring chaos because many university Dons are retiring without knowing where to draw their pension from and this is causing problem because many of them have not identified themselves with public PENCOM and are waiting when ASUU will open their own.
Continuing, Tile said “Given the structure of Nigeria society, if ASUU have PENCOM now with its headquarters probably in Abuja, it means that the pension administrator must have at least 36 branches all over Nigeria.
“Then the issue of recovering money from the public pension to the new existing pension might also create crisis. And then for federal and state government to pay in the money meant for PENCOM to ASUU pension fund might be problematic. The renegotiation team must look critically into this.
“Instead of establishing PENCOM which may be chaotic, I will suggest that every academic staff should open two accounts; Current and a fixed deposit account where by part of his salary gets in until he retires. Even the gratuities should go into his fixed deposit account so that if he retire and want to get his money can use his ATM card and withdraw it anywhere any time,” he added.
Other key educationist who spoke with our correspondent insisted that it was laughable for the nation to aim to be at par with world rated universities but is neglecting the path these varsities followed.
“For Nigeria to arrive there, we have to start from somewhere, probably by considering the welfare of bodies to handles the system such as ASUU.
“We really want to have world rating universities and this has to do with research output. The universities must be funded adequately in terms of research, not only in terms of library research but going out to collect data from field and discover new findings, publish and live them on internet.
“And these universities need website which cost a lot of money. To establish a single website may cost up to 60 or even100 dollars. Where can a poor university Don have that kind of money?
“Rome was not built in a day. America and Russia have gone to the moon and then the British had started the industrial revolution for long” a retired educationist said.
However, Professor Tile insisted that “We cannot overnight compete with Cambridge, Oxford or Havard universities. What we need to do is to aspire to meet the minimum standard and subsequent progress can take us there.
“The problem with us is that we always want to get where America is, which cannot be done overnight. I hope the team should critically look into this.”
Critical stakeholders who spoke to LEADERSHIP Sunday including some concerned parents enjoined the government accord top most priorities to the terms and conditions of the agreement so as to further reposition the nation’s university system.
One Musa Muhammad who retired as a senior staff in one of the first generation universities tasked government on the need to work out modalities to compensate the excess work load on lecturers.
“The federal government having recovered so much from stolen fund should give the lecturers a little. If this money is being kept without using it others will loot it again. Even if the money is been kept in the central bank, they too are not Angels” Muhammad who said two of his children now teaches at the university, enthused.
All things said and done, key stakeholders in the education sector including student union officials are optimistic that the latest attempt by the federal government may well signal an end to the seemingly endless disharmony in the nation’s public owned varsities.
“There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. We will watch and wait with bated breath for the outcome of the Dr Babalakin committee. But I am optimistic of a fovarouble outcome” a student of Nasarawa state university, Adeka Iyimonye, said