By Gbenga Abulude
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday asked the Federal Government to be ready to face the consequences following its plan to reopen tertiary institutions in the country.
The union said that reopening the ivory towers without taking concrete steps to address issues within the universities would be suicidal.
The zonal coordinator of Lagos Zone of ASUU, Professor Olusiji Sowande, in a press conference at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, insisted that it is not enough to have the students back on campuses, but that the atmosphere and conditions must also be appropriate.
According to Sowande, the hostel accommodations are inadequate, there is no facility on ground to carry out physical distancing in large and crowded classes, adding that water and electricity supply were not reliable in the universities.
He maintained that years of neglect of both education and health sectors in the country has resulted in inadequate infrastructure and lack of well-equipped diagnostic, testing, treatment and research laboratories in both sectors.
Sowande said, “The response of the public universities to the call by the National University Commission for their readiness to reopen indicated that public universities are not ready.
“Reopening tertiary institutions without taking concrete steps to address these issues would be suicidal. While government made arrangements for special bail out funds for airline operators and other private entities, no such arrangement was made for public universities.
“Therefore, government should be ready to take responsibility for any possible negative consequences after reopening of universities.”
On the ongoing strike, Sowande said the union had written to relevant government agencies with a view to finding steps to put an end to the industrial action.
“It seems to us that some government officials are benefiting from the prevailing situation. We demand that the Olabisi Onabanjo Governing Forum (OAGF) must immediately remit all illegally withheld cheques and other third party deductions with accrued interests,” Sowande pontificated.
Recall that on August 22nd, the President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi in a meeting with stakeholders, at the University of Port Harcourt, said the strike will persist until the Federal Government implements the 2012 universities’ NEEDS assessment it conducted.
He said university lecturers were still on the same salary scale of 2009.
Recall that ASUU had also rejected
the integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) introduced by the federal government for all civil servants under its employment.
ASUU had said it was ready to present an alternative system, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) to the FG that would achieve a better result.
Criticizing IPPIS as “a business venture of some interest groups” in Nigeria, ASUU had been on strike to get unfulfilled agreements signed with FG implemented and negotiate befitting conditions of service for her members including salaries with IPPIS.
