From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said that the federal government directive that their members be enrolled in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information Management System (IPPIS) is not the reason for the ongoing strike.
Comrade Christian Opata ASUU chairman University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) chapter said this Monday in Nsukka while briefing newsmen over a feature report in a national Newspaper (not in The Sun) on December 4, 2020 by Shaka Moodu titled, “ASUU Has Outlived Its Shelf Life.”
Opata said that the briefing had become necessary so as to put the record straight and correct the misinformation on that report by Moodu that is already in public domain.
He said that ASUU went on strike because of Federal Government inability to honour 2009 agreement as well as various Memourandium of Understanding entered with government.
According to him, “Moodu on December 4, 2020 saddled himself with the responsibility of misinforming the nation and the international community as to why public universities in Nigeria are not in session.
“He mused that the current strike was informed by the refusal of the members of ASUU to enrol in the IPPIS.
“This is far from the truth because the central issue that led to the current strike is the failure of the Federal Government to honour the 2009 agreement it signed with the Union.
“ASUU didn’t go on strike because of misunderstnding with government on IPPIS.
“IPPIS issue started in 2018, before then ASUU has been calling on government to implement the 2009 agreement and various MoUs entered with government.
“In the 2009 agreement and MoUs, government agreed among other things to release money to revitalize the decaying infrastructures public universities as well as set up visitation panels to know condition of universities.
“The said agreement needed to be reviewed every three years but government never allowed it to be reviewed since Inception,” he said.
The chairman said it was unfortunate that Moodu after blaming government for reneging in its promise of 2009 agreement and MoUs went ahead to accuse ASUU of insensitivity of the plights of students and parents.
“Even as Moodu recognised that government failed to honour memorandum of understanding of 2013, and memorandum of action of 2017 and 2019 it willingly, entered with the union, he failed to tell the nation how these agreements were reached.”
Recall that Shaka Moodu had in the said feature report accused ASU of not considering the plight of students and parents on their incessant industrial actions.
He claimed that ASUU’s current strike which commenced on March 9, 2020 was because of the union’s refusal to enroll its members in the IPPIS.
Also he said that in 20 years, ASUU have embarked on strike over 15 times that saw them stay away from work for about 50 months cumulatively, resulting in a loss of about 21% of academic time.
Equally he alleged that the union have become objects of ridicule, they aid and abet malpractices in exam halls, in elections, and exhibit all manner of bad behaviours that have contributed to the general level of decadence in our country.