We’re waiting for sack letters, say defiant lecturers

Striking lecturers in the nation's public universities
on Monday made good their decision not to return to
work as directed by the Federal Government.
The striking teachers also refused to sign the
attendance registers in their respective institutions
as ordered by the government.
They said they were only waiting for the sack letters
the Federal Government threatened to give them if
they did not return to work.
In many of the universities visited by our
correspondents, only administrative offices opened
for business while the lecture rooms were empty.
Particularly, lecturers' offices remained shut.
Among some of the universities visited by our
correspondents were the University of Lagos,
University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria,
University of Calabar, Nnamdi Azikwe University,
Awka, and the University of Uyo.
Others are Obafemi Awolwo University, Ile-Ife, Federal
University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and the Olabisi
Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye.
The Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike,
had urged the striking lecturers to return to work or
on before December 9 or risk being sacked.
But the leadership of ASUU had remained unfazed by
the FG's directive and threat. They accused the
government of insincerity in the resolution of the
face-off.
At the NAU, Awka on Monday, though some of the
lecturers were on campus, they did not teach. The
institution's Faculty of Social Sciences, for instance,
had its classrooms and laboratories shut.
The hostels were opened but students had yet to
return to the campus.
At UI, only a few lecturers were on the campus. They
neither taught nor signed the attendance register.
The institution's chapter of ASUU earlier in the day
had sent a message to its members, urging them to
be calm and resolute in their demands.
The National Treasurer of ASUU, Dr. Ademola Aremu,
said they would have wasted their time and effort if
they caved in and returned to work under threat.
He said, "How can you call off a strike when there is
nothing to show for it? The government is not
qualified to call off the strike. Our union is awaiting
the government to state all it has done in black and
white. However, it is a serious insult on us for the
government to be harassing us with sacking threat.
We are not casual workers or labourers. Our
research work has been ongoing."
Also, at UNICAL and at the Cross River University of
Science and Technology, students and their teachers
stayed away from the schools.
The UNICAL ASUU Chairman, Dr. James Okpiliya,
insisted that the Federal Government must meet the
lecturers' demands before the strike could be
suspended.
Lecturers also shunned work at OAU even though a
few of the students were on the campus.
One of our correspondents observed that many of
the students who returned to campus were those
residing within Ife and its environs.
The Chairman of ASUU at the university, Prof.
Adegbola Akinola, who spoke to one of our
correspondents, said that the strike was still on.
He said, "Our union did not close the universities,
what we did was to withdraw teaching services and
they will remain withdrawn until the government
properly documents the agreement reached with us
on November 4, 2013."
Lectures did not also hold at ABU. The two campuses
of the institution at Samaru and Kongo had only a
negligible human presence as of Monday.
Lecturers' offices and lecture halls were shut, just as
the students did not show up as directed by the
government.
ASUU Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Kabir-Aliyu, told
journalists that they had yet to call off the action.
The UNIJOS ASUU chapter Chairman, Dr. David
Jangkam, said striking teachers in the university
were just waiting for their sack letters from the
Federal Government.
Jangkam said, "We are waiting for their sack letters.
Any government that is toying with education is not
worth its salt. We expect firm commitment in solving
the issues, but if the government is playing to the
gallery, it is very unfortunate."
When our correspondent visited the various
departments, only a few departments had opened
registers as demanded by the governing council.
There were no studies too at UNIUYO, UNIJOS, FUNAAB,
LASU and UNILAG as lecturers boycotted classes.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan, on
Monday, urged the striking teachers to call off the
industrial action.
The President, who spoke at the All Nigerian Judges
Conference organised by the National Judicial
Council in Abuja, on Monday, said the industrial
action would prevent the country from achieving the
Vision 2020 target of becoming one of the top 20
economies in the world by 2020.
Although the Federal Government had recently
threatened to sack the lecturers for going on strike,
Jonathan noted that ASUU had the right to embark
on the industrial action.
He said, "This administration recognises and
respects the right of workers, including the right to
embark on industrial action to press home their
demand and have taken concrete steps to address
the grievances of ASUU.
"I therefore use this occasion to call on ASUU to call
off its strike."
"With this Nigeria's quest to become one of the
world's 20th largest economies by the year 2020
cannot be achieved in an atmosphere of industrial
disharmony.
"Nigeria's geopolitical history has been
characterised by incessant labour dispute and
industrial action.
"While views may differ on the utility of industrial
action as a means of advancing the collective interest
of workers in the polity, it is an unassailable fact that
labour and industrial harmony is sine qua non to
the socio-economic development of any nation,
Nigeria inclusive."