Benin Zonal office of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU has accused the Federal and State Governments of allegedly mortgaging the Academic fortunes of Youths across the Country.
The Benin Zonal Co-Ordinator, of ASUU Professor Fred Esumeh, in a statement, the zone, comprising of University of Benin, Benin City, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Delta State University, Abraka and the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun), said after a thorough appraisal of the current engagement with representatives of the Federal Government, the Union more than ever before is resolutely demanding a better Nigerian University System.
The statement issued after a crucial meeting of the Benin Zone of ASUU at the University of Benin, Benin City reads, “That in the wake of #EndSARS# protest, government representative appeared to be ready for meaningful engagement towards the resolution of the ASUU strike, but has since gone back to the let us keep ASUU talking syndrome post the #EndSARS# protest.
The Benin Zonal ASUU said in the Communiqué that they are alerting Members of the public to know that the strike they embarked on at the first quarter of the year has entered its 8th month, and that it was called to compel government to honor and implement the February 2019 Memorandum of Action (MoA).
The Union said “This MoA has timelines that government gave, within which it will address the issues in contention. In the last two weeks of engagement, government approach has been to renegotiate some of these actionable items and the Union is greatly disturb on what type of memorandum to call such document that will emanate from this approach of government. Indeed, it is the view of the Union that government is playing games with the future of Nigerian youths.
“Furthermore, the Union wishes to refresh the minds of the general public that the unresolved issues that precipitated the current strike are matters of revitalization fund for public universities, Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), visitation panel to universities, proliferation of state Universities and issues of governance in them, and the need to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
“The Benin Zone observes with dismay that rather than engage in sincere dialogue to satisfactorily implement/resolve the issues contained in the 2019 MoA which led to the strike action, government has deliberately introduced and emphasizing a diversionary problem to forcefully migrate members to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
” ASUU has rejected and will continue to reject IPPIS, for number of reasons namely; the violation of the University Miscellaneous Act 2003 as amended, and the non-compatibility with the peculiarities of the University system amongst others.
“To this extent, the Union has since developed a software the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for free and to be deployed for payments of salaries in the university system, following the conduct of integrity test of UTAS” .
The Benin ASUU Zone also stressed that even on point of law that since IPPIS use in dispute that the honorable thing to do was for government to revert to the earlier platform, GIFMIS that was in use before the introduction of IPPIS, just as it said, the Union wishes to know if government has diverted the funds met to pay our members salaries.
The Zone however called on the government to treat education particularly University education as an emergency, knowing full well that that is the pivotal which drives development of any nation.
