By Babatunde Ayedoju

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Yesterday was an unusual day in Akure, the Ondo State capital, as members of the Nigerian Labour Congress joined the various university unions and even the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to protest the downing of tools in Nigerian public universities which began on February 14, 2022.

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), after its meeting in Lagos from February 12 -13, 2022, declared a four-week total and comprehensive roll-over strike.

After an emergency meeting of the NEC in Abuja on March 13, 2022, ASUU extended the strike by eight weeks, citing that the FGN did not treat the matters involved with utmost urgency during the first four-week strike. The union claimed that government failed to “satisfactorily” implement the Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed with the Union in December 2020 on funding for revitalisation of public universities (both Federal and States), renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

AS if to complicate the matter, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Educational Institutions (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), under the umbrella of Joint Action Committee (JAC), also joined the strike. On March 28, 2022, JAC directed all its members to embark on a two-week industrial action which it extended on April 13, citing that the FGN failed to address issues that led to the strike initially. In a letter dated March 16, JAC had accused the Government of insincerity in its implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed with the union in October 2020 and February 2021 respectively.

THE strike was further extended by another four weeks on April 21, 2022. Meanwhile, members of the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) had also embarked on a two-week industrial action in March.

As a sign of solidarity with the various university unions, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) national secretariat in a statement to the various state councils said, “In line with the decisions of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress held on the 30th of June 2022, we have scheduled as follows the national days of protest to get our children back to school and support our unions in Nigeria’s public universities fighting for quality education.”

The circular which was jointly signed by the national chairman, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and the National Secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja, added, “You are requested to immediately convene the meetings of your SAC to disseminate this information and to fully mobilize workers in the states for this very important protest for good governance.”

The protests were scheduled to hold on July 26 and 27. In line with the directive, Ondo State Labour unions embarked on a protest yesterday. The protest began at the NUJ Secretariat in the early hours of the day. The workers marched from there to the State Governor’s office, passing through NEPA area.

At the ShopRite roundabout, the unionists had a brief stopover where some of the officials addressed the crowd. All the speakers blamed the length of the strike on the fact that children of the elite are not in the affected public schools.

Those who spoke included Mr Felix Adunbi from the Senior Staff Union of Universities (SSANU), Mr Isaac Awonyemi from the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Mr Abiodun Ekundayo from the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and a representative of the students who gave his name as Comrade Surprise.

From the ShopRite roundabout, the unionists marched to the Governor’s Office in Alagbaka where some other officials also addressed the gathering.

Chairman of ASUU in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Professor Simon Ehiabhi, stated that the rally was not about any union but a call from the leadership of the NLC to revitalise the universities and better the lot of workers in the ivory tower.

He added, “For how long will you tell your children why they can’t work in the system where you are working? For how long will you tell your children why you can’t provide for them their basic necessities? Enough will only be enough when we can provide for our families.”

Chairman of ASUU at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Professor Olayinka Awopetu, blamed the protracted nature of the strike on bad leadership in the country.

He said, “ASUU took a bill to the National Assembly that children of public office holders must attend Nigerian universities and the public office holders themselves must patronise indigenous healthcare facilities, but they killed it.

“You are not here to fight for any union but yourself. If we fail in this, university education will no longer be affordable for children of the masses. We must tell ourselves that enough is enough,” he added.

In his address, the Chairman of NLC in Ondo State, Sunday Adeleye, said, “When I saw Professor Awopetu deliver his address, I was pained. Professor Awopetu taught me in the university in 1994. The same man is still begging for his entitlement to be given to him. Is this how we are going to continue? No! I heard that an Ondo State indigene recently did his PhD in Cambridge University. Why did he not do it in any of our universities? It’s because people have lost hope in our indigenous institutions.

“Recently, President Buhari directed the Minister of Education to address this issue in two weeks. A week has gone, yet ASUU is yet to be invited,” the union leader further said.

Adeleye stressed that if the government does not address the lingering crisis in the universities, it could have serious negative consequences on the youths.

His words: “Our children have been at home idle and this is not good for the nation at all. We are appealing to the government not to allow our children become miscreants. The current situation of things is not encouraging.”

Meanwhile, the Ondo State Head of Service, Pastor John Adeyemo, and the Special Adviser to Ondo State Governor on Union Matters and Special Duties, Mr Dare Aragbaiye, were on ground to represent the State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

The union leaders presented to the HOS and the special adviser a copy of the letter from the national leadership of NLC appealing to the government to intervene speedily in the crisis rocking the ivory tower.

The Head of Service promised to deliver the letter to the appropriate quarters. He also stressed that the state government could feel the pain of the workers and thanked them for the peaceful conduct of the protest.

According to Aragbaiye, this is a matter that concerns everybody, a situation where by several youths are at home due to the strike. He lamented about the fact that nobody seems to have found a solution to the matter up till now but stressed that at this point a solution must come.

He said, “Our children have been at home for the past five months. I am not sure that will happen anywhere in the world. But having intervened, I am sure the federal government, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari will address the matter soonest.”

Following the address of the state government officials who represented the governor, the protesting workers dispersed. Meanwhile, the second phase of the protest is expected to take place today at the national level.