FG, ASUU trade blame as strike enters 50th day – Newstrends
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FG, ASUU trade blame as strike enters 50th day

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3 years ago

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The Minister of State for Education, Mr Emeka Nwajiuba, has said striking university workers including the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions are mean and wicked for shutting down universities across the country.

This is just as the ASUU’s strike enters its 50th day on Tuesday (today).

The unions are currently on strike over failure by the Federal Government to honour the various agreements reached with them.

Nwajiuba, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said it was an act of wickedness for the unions to go on strike for entitlements that the government would still give them.

The minister said, “We are negotiating with the Polytechnics and Colleges of Education and the same thing ASUU is asking for is the same thing they are asking for but they are willing to continue working.

“The only place we have a suspension of work is the ASUU, SSANU and NASU on account of things they believe are owed them. We believe every union is entitled to make these requests. The government has agreed with them. Government is only releasing money as they have it.

“The renegotiation committee has always been constituted; the only departure is in the willingness of ASUU, SSANU and NASU to continue working while the same entitlements are on.

“The others have same demands but are willing to continue working while they get their entitlements. We have consistently said if you disrupt academic programmes because of one entitlement you are supposed to get, you will eventually get the entitlement but our children would have lost the time they are supposed to learn, you are just being mean. There is no point disrupting everybody’s life, those people can’t regain their lives but you can regain yours, because you haven’t gotten it everybody else must lose something.

“The strike has not produced the money they are asking for, if the money was there they would have been paid the day they started the strike.

 “Government has heard them, they are not wrong but the same way government has said they will get the money, for every strike they have embarked on they still get their money but human beings have lost times.

They are not only being wicked to the government but they are wicked to the human beings that constitute Nigeria.”

In his reaction, the National President, ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, wondered why the Federal Government had refused to meet the union’s demand.

 “I will not honour people like Nwajiuba with my response. If the government wants the children of the ordinary Nigerian people to have good education like their children who are schooling abroad, they would have resolved the problem within one week.

“Ask Nwajiuba why the Ministry of Education has refused to meet with the ASUU?”

Also, ASUU chairman, University of Lagos, Dr Dele Ashiru, described Nwajiuba’s statement as callous and provocative.

“This is the kind of reaction you get from those who became ministers of the Federal Republic based on quota system. If the minister knows that ASUU would eventually get what it wants why wait until the system is shut down?

“Is it sane for the conditions of service of a worker to remain the same in the last 12 years? The remark by the minister is therefore, to say the least, provocative, callous and insensate.

“As for ASUP and COEASU, if they are comfortable with empty promises from an insensitive ruining elite, good for them.”

Osodeke had earlier told The PUNCH that despite the strike entering its 50th day, the government had not done anything new.

“They have not done anything new, there is no new update as we speak. However, one thing is certain and that is the fact that our ultimatum still stands. The extension of the warning strike will elapse by May 14 after which the NEC will meet on the decision to take,” he said.

Meanwhile, the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination/Direct Entry examinations are set to commence on May 6, 2022 amidst the ongoing strike.

On the impact of the strike on the 2022 admission process, the spokesperson for the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, Fabian Benjamin, said, “It is not the duty of the board to meddle into admissions of institutions. We conduct the examinations and the schools conduct the admissions. However, the strike will have an impact on everything. Even the person who is on strike is feeling the impact.”

PUNCH

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Two ex-VCs, JAMB registrar to attend Prof. Ibraheem UNILAG inaugural lecture Wed  

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1 week ago

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December 15, 2024

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Two ex-VCs, JAMB registrar to attend Prof. Ibraheem UNILAG historic inaugural lecture Wed  

  • History beckons as Mass Comm alumnus delivers inaugural lecture Wed

History will be made this week Wednesday December 18, 2024 at University of Lagos when an alumnus of the university’s Mass Communication Department, Ismail Adegboyega Ibrahim, professor of journalism and communication studies, will deliver inaugural lecture as a lecturer of the department.

Ibraheem, a 1990 graduate of the university, returned to the institution in 2011 as a lecturer.

It is the first time a former student of the department will be delivering an inaugural lecture 58 years after its establishment.

Ibraheem, director of International Relations, Partnerships and Prospects at the UNILAG, will speak on “Casino Journalism and the End of History.”

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, will chair the event, according to a statement from the institution.

Two former vice-chancellors of the university, Professor Rahamon Bello and Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, are expected to grace the lecture along with the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, among others.

The lecture is scheduled for 4pm at the J.F. Ade. Ajayi Auditorium, UNILAG, Akoka.

Members of the University Community and general public are invited to join the lecture physically or virtually via Zoom Meeting ID:862 1255 2361.

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Education

Austria offers scholarship grant for int’l postgraduate, research students

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2 weeks ago

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December 12, 2024

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Austria offers scholarship grant for int’l postgraduate, research students

The Republic of Austria is offering an opportunity for international postgraduate students, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral researchers through the Ernst Mach Scholarship 2025.

Managed by OeAD-GmbH, Austria’s agency for education, this scholarship aims to support talented individuals in advancing their academic and research careers in Austria.

Details of the scholarship program 

According to OeAD, the Ernst Mach Scholarship is open to students and researchers from various academic disciplines. This includes areas such as;

  • Natural sciences
  • Technical sciences
  • Human medicine
  • Health Sciences
  • Agricultural sciences
  • Social sciences
  • Humanities, and arts.

The scholarship provides funding for semester or one-year grants, with research grants lasting from one to nine months, making it accessible to a broad range of applicants.

Benefits of the Ernst Mach scholarship 

The scholarship offers numerous benefits to successful applicants.

  • Recipients will receive a monthly stipend of €1,300 for the duration of their stay in Austria.
  • Accommodation assistance is available, with affordable housing options ranging from €330 to €800 per month.
  • OeAD will also provide administrative support to help applicants find suitable housing.

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Grant holders will receive guidance on obtaining health insurance accepted in Austria, with a cost ranging from €55 to €200 per month. The scholarship also waives tuition fees at public universities, further reducing the financial burden on participants.

A travel subsidy of up to €1,200 is available for applicants from eligible developing countries, with travel invoices required for reimbursement. Moreover, recipients will have the opportunity to build valuable connections with top researchers and institutions in Austria, which can significantly enhance their academic and professional networks.

Eligibility criteria for applicants 

The Ernst Mach Scholarship is open to early-career academics who are passionate about advancing their research. To be eligible, applicants must be;

  • Postgraduate students pursuing a PhD outside Austria or postgraduates and postdoctoral researchers looking to conduct research in Austria.
  • Additionally, postdocs employed at universities outside Austria are also eligible to apply.
  • Applicants must be 35 years old or younger (born on or after October 1st, 1989) and should not have lived, studied, or worked in Austria for more than six months prior to applying.
  • Proficiency in English or German is required to ensure effective communication during the research process.

How to apply for the Ernst Mach Scholarship 

To apply for the Ernst Mach Scholarship 2025, interested individuals must visit the official OeAD-GmbH website.

The application deadline is February 1st, 2025. Applicants should ensure that they meet the eligibility requirements and submit all required documents before the deadline.

 

Austria offers scholarship grant for int’l postgraduate, research students

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Education

LASU workers declare indefinite strike over salary

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2 weeks ago

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December 10, 2024

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Lagos State University (LASU)

LASU workers declare indefinite strike over salary

The joint action committee of the academic and non-academic staff of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, on Monday, declared an indefinite strike.

Their demands from the Lagos state government – their employer – include an increase in salary and addressing salary disparities between LASU and other universities in the state.

It also includes payment of 20 percent salary increase as promised by the governor during his election campaign.

Others include payment of 20 per cent and 35 per cent agreement reached between the federal government and university workers.

The unions involved include the LASU chapters of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).

Also involved are the LASU Chapters of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

Justice Obafemi, the chairman, NASU-LASU, said that the genesis of the industrial action was the promised 20 per cent salary increase made by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos during his electioneering campaign.

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Mr Obafemi said that after the election, the governor only paid the civil servants at Alausa Secretariat, neglecting the staff of the tertiary institutions.

“They used us, and in spite of our active contributions and efforts we made during the election, they have not fulfilled their promise.

“There is also a disparity in payment of salaries between LASU and the other two state-owned tertiary institutions.

“Even before Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), and Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) transmuted to universities, their staff were earning more than LASU staff,” the NASU chairman said.

Mr Obafemi added that when the administration came on board as new leaders, the unions wrote to the state government to look into the disparities.

“Also, the 20 per cent and 35 per cent agreement reached between the federal government and university workers.

“We set up a committee to look into it and sent all our requests to the government to harmonise salaries of all the academic institutions in the state.

“We had several meetings with the Lagos State Ministry of Tertiary Education and Ministry of Establishment and Training.

“Also, the LASU management tried to step into the matter. The vice-chancellor has pleaded several times, but we cannot continue to sacrifice the welfare of our union members,” Mr Obafemi said.

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Ibrahim Bakare, chairman of ASUU-LASU, said that the unions were more interested in peace, adding that the action was an agitation for staff welfare.

Mr Bakare said that all unions in the institution decided to come together and collaborate to get to where they are today.

“We are being civil and not disrespecting the Senate of the university. We will remain calm for the government to address our demands and call us for a meeting,” he said.

Seyi Lawal, chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU-LASU, said that it had discussed and given the government several ultimatums to address and meet its demands.

Mr Lawal said that the government had been playing games with them, so the unions decided to take action by calling for an indefinite strike.

“We have not even gotten to the stage of payment of minimum wage; we want the government to address these demands first,” he said.

Oluwayemisi Thomas-Onashile, coordinator, centre for information and public relations, LASU, said in a statement that the institution’s Senate had declared a Christmas and New Year break for the students and staff.

She said that the break started today till Jan. 5, 2025, adding that all university activities, including lectures and socio-academic events, would resume on Jan. 6, 2025.

“All students residing in the university’s hostels across all campuses (Ojo, LASUCOM, Epe and Badagry) are required to vacate the hostels within 48 hours.

“The university management appreciates the support and dedication of staff and students throughout the year and wishes everyone a joyous Christmas and a prosperous New Year,” Mr Thomas-Onashile said.

 

LASU workers declare indefinite strike over salary

(NAN)

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