ASUU: Strike Must Continue

Academic Staff Union of Universities,
ASUU, Monday, rejected the N130
billion the Federal Government
disbursed into the university system,
as part of efforts to persuade striking
lecturers to call off the strike action
they embarked on July 2.
In a letter written to Head of National
Economic Empowerment Development
Strategy, NEEDs Assessment, and Benue
State Governor, Gabriel Suswan, by
President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Isa Fagge.
The union insisted that based on the
2009 ASUU/FGN agreement and the
January 2012 Memoranda of
Understanding, MoU, signed by both
parties, what was due for 2012 and 2013
was N500 billion, not N100 billion.
The letter read: "We observe that the
Committee is so far mentioning only
N100 billion. If the implementation is to
be related to the funding requirements
in the 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement and
the Jan 2012 MoU, what is due for 2012
and 2013 is N500 billion not N100
billion. Only the provision of this sum
will meet the immediate needs of the
universities.
"Our Union is very apprehensive of the
manner in which the sources of the
initial N100 billion to be used for the
stimulation of the process are shrouded
in secrecy. We believe that monies that
already belong to the university system
should not be blocked and recycled. This
will not only be counter-productive but
will brew even deeper crises in the
system. ASUU will not accept this.
"We are also concerned that a clear
procedure or process for assessing the
funds by the universities is yet to be
defined. This concern is even more
germane given the statement of the
Chairman of the Committee (during the
last meeting on Monday, August 19,
2013) that the committee is taking some
documents to the Due Process Office.
"We hasten to add that while due
process must be followed, it is the sole
responsibility of benefitting universities
to respect all the provisions of the
Procurement Act. The meaning of your
Committee going to the Due Process
Office is that it is the one that will be
responsible for awarding contracts.
"We want to make it clear that this will
never be acceptable to our Union. We
believe that monies meant to fund
projects in universities should be sent to
the universities just as it is the practice
with TETFund",
The union condemned allocation of
construction of 2,500 bed space hostel
for N1billion, instead of 3,000 bed space
for N1.2 billion.
"We are worried that instead of
allocating N1.2 billion each to construct
3,000 bed space hostels to the 10
Category 1 universities, N1.0 billion for
2,500 bed space hostel to the 16
Category 2 universities, N500 million to
construct 1,250 bed space hostels in the
12 Category 3 universities and N250
million each to construct 625 bed space
hostels in the 13 Category 4 universities,
the secretariat has changed that to
constructing 1,400 bed space hostels in
25 universities at the cost of N2 billion
each. We see no rationale in this.
"Expending N50 billion to construct
35,000 bed space hostels across 25
universities will be ridiculously
scandalous since the same amount can
be used to construct 125,000 bed space
hostels across 51 universities. The
standard cost of building a bed space
ranges from N200,000.00 to a maximum
of N400,000.00.
"This is even more worrisome given the
tangential suggestions made by the
chairman that only monies for
refurbishment will be sent to universities
while the rest will be handled centrally,"
the union said.
The union also condemned the exclusion
of 22 universities from the allocation for
refurbishment of laboratories and
libraries and three universities from the
allocation for refurbishment of lecture
theatres and lecture rooms.
According to ASUU, 24 universities are
denied allocation for construction of
libraries and laboratories, while two are
denied allocation for construction of new
lecture theatres and lecture rooms. 26
universities are denied allocation for
construction of hostel.