From Abuja.
A faction of striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has called for liberalization of University academic unions to end incessant strike in public universities in Nigeria.
The National Coordinator,Congress of University Academics, CONUA, CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, made the call at the media briefing in Abuja.
According to him,the union is made up of seasoned academics with potential to stem the tide of consistent strike in the nation’s university system.
Dr.Sunmonu explained that members were of CONUA were saddened with the frequent disruptions in academic calendars.
He, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Labour and Employment, to immediately register CONUA as a trade union just like ASUU, saying that such development would break the monopoly being currently enjoined by ASUU.
He recalled that between 1999 and 2021, Nigerian public universities experienced strikes for 1,417 days, translating to 5 years.
“The ongoing strike is in its sixth month now! This has caused damage in no small measure to teaching and research,” Dr Sunmonu noted.
He said that CONUA is determined to proffer solutions to these endemic problems “so that our universities once again will have a breath of life.”
“As a first step, we call on the Federal Government, as a matter of urgency, to convoke a stakeholders’ meeting to include parents, students, all unions and relevant government agencies to brainstorm and find lasting solutions to these perennial problems.
”We cannot be doing the same thing the same way for many years and expect different results.
“As a Union, we are committed to the entrenchment of quality ideas that will stand the test of time in Nigerian Universities,’’he said.
Dr Sunmonu said the focus of the Congress of University Academics was to avoid strikes by engaging proactively in ideologically consultation, dialogue and lobbying the national Universities Commission, the Minister of Education and other stakeholders.
‘’In April 2018, CONUA applied for registration as a trade Union at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and on 19th November, 2020, the Honourable Minister held a public meeting with CONUA delegates,where he gave the Ministerial Committee (reviewing the registration of CONUA) four (4) weeks to conclude its work.
” We are aware that the committee has since submitted its report.We have therefore been waiting to hear from the Government on our registration’’.he added.
He called on the Federal Government to approve the legal recognition of the Union to provide alternative perspective for the achievement of constructive engagement with stakeholders to engender hitch-free academic calendars in public universities.
Dr Sunmonu, who said lecturers under his group had not been on strike, however faulted federal government for withholding their salaries.
He, therefore, appealed to the government release the salaries of lecturers who did not participate in the ongoing strike declared by ASUU as a matter of urgency.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
