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- Varsities running without boards for 11 months
University teachers have given a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to reconstitute the governing councils of universities and address other outstanding issues affecting the ivory towers.
Their umbrella body, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), frowned at government’s failure to implement a 2009 agreement it reached with them in 2021.
ASUU also alleged that the salaries of its members were still being paid through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
The union raised the issues during a news conference in Abuja yesterday on its National Executive Council meeting at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. The NEC took place at the weekend.
ASUU added that NEC would reconvene in two weeks if the issues raised, especially the reconstitution of the governing councils, were not addressed. It noted that it had given the Federal Government enough time to set things in motion.
The union’s position was backed by the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) which said the dissolution of Governing Councils breached Section 3(2A) of the Universities Autonomy Act 2007.
President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who read the text of the NEC resolutions, asked Nigerians to hold the federal and state governments responsible if its demand for the reconstitution of the governing councils was allowed to snowball into an industrial crisis.
Osodeke said: “We hereby restate our demand for reinstating the governing councils whose tenures are yet to elapse and reconstitute those whose tenures had elapsed so that our universities can run in accordance with their laws.
“ASUU shall do all within its powers to ensure that the dignity of the academia is fully restored in line with practices obtainable in forward-looking climes.
“NEC shall reconvene after two weeks from the date of the NEC meeting to review the situation and take decisive action to address the issues.’’
Osodeke noted that the dissolution of the governing councils by the National Universities Commission(NUC) on June 22, 2023, was against the principles guiding the administration of universities.
NUC’s action was based on a directive by President Tinubu for the dissolution of the boards of all government parastatals, agencies, and companies.
The governing councils, among others, are in charge of the universities’ overall management and direction, approve their annual budgets, supervise staff recruitment and promotion, and ensure that they (universities) function in accordance with their goals and objectives.
ASUU also kicked against what it described as a “paltry” increment of salaries of academic staff of universities.
It said it views the 35 percent salary increment for professors and 25 percent for other university teachers as a wage award that can be withdrawn by the government at any time.
The union said the continued use of IPPIS platform for payment of university salaries was in breach of an understanding the government reached with its leadership.
‘’The platform, with all its encumbrances, is used to pay our members under the disguise of the “New IPPIS” contrary to the understanding reached at the 11th January 2024 stakeholders’ meeting held at the National Universities Commission (NUC),” it said.
CONUA also said the government should reconstitute the councils to calm the disquiet in the university system.
It argued that the dissolution of the councils was an error that created an impression that the government was unappreciative of the ‘’invaluable services of the distinguished Nigerians’’ who accepted to serve their nation.
A statement by CONUA’s National President of Congress Niyi Sunmonu, on the need to reconstitute the councils, reads: “Apart from patently violating the law on university autonomy, a wholesale dissolution of the governing councils before the end of their tenure gave the unintended impression that the government was unappreciative of the invaluable services of the distinguished Nigerians some of who were begged to put their wealth of experience at the service of the nation’s educational system.
“…we believe that it is an error for the governing councils to be dissolved without reference to the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2003 which is also referred to as the Universities Autonomy Act No. 1, 2007. Section 3(2A).
‘’The section states that the council so constituted shall have a tenure of four years from the date of its inauguration provided that where a council is found to be incompetent and corrupt it shall be dissolved by the visitor and a new council shall be immediately constituted or the effective functioning of the university.’’