By Joshua Silas PHD, chairman Ásuu FUL.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU), is the umbrella Union of all academic staff in public (Federal and State) universities in Nigeria. It was founded in 1978 with a broad objective of advocating for university autonomy, academic freedom and improved working conditions of service for its members. The Union has chapters in almost all the public universities, except for a few whose membership are yet to be ratified by the union.
Over the years, ASUU’s push for University reforms and revitalization led to the signing of the milestone 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement meant to inject substantial and continuous funds into the university system to enable the sector deliver on its mandate. Unfortunately, however, many of the terms of the Agreement have not been implemented, thus leading to endless disputes, strikes and the resultant disruption of the university system in Nigeria, the aftermath of which are decaying infrastructures, low morale and brain drain. This is the situation in public universities both at the Federal and State levels. In fact, it may be far worse in the state universities.
ASUU KSU now PAAU ANYIGBA
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Anyigba (ASUU PAAU branch was chatered in 2003, at the then Prince Abubakar Audu University.
From its inception, the ASUU PAAU branch had contended with a number of challenges resulting basically from the lack of understanding of the modus operandi of the University system by the Visitors. The autonomy of the system had always been infringed upon, leading to frosty relationship between the Union and the university governance.
From a glorified secondary school in 2004\2005, the emergence of Professor Francis Idachaba as the Vice Chancellor brought the much-needed global recognition and visibility to the University as he was able to use his towering academic pedigree to attract high calibre professors and senior academics to the institution under the then Visitor, Governor Ibrahim Idris. He also attracted robust funding from the political leadership in the state and beyond, the result of which was the unprecedented accreditation of all the 29 academic programs presented to the NUC by the University barely one year into his Vice-Chancellorship! He left as Vice Chancellor in 2008.
Since then, the Vice Chancellorship has been subservient to the whims and caprices of the Visitors, becoming politicians instead of academicians!
Gradually, Vice Chancellors began recruiting some willing “Academic thugs” from among the rank of ASUU members to weaken the Union. Such hirelings, allies many of whom were former ASUU Executive Committee members, were compensated with unmerited promotions and appointments as Deputy Vice Chancellors, Deans of Faculty, Heads of Department and Directorate as well as award of juicy contracts. Ironically, many of the Union’s members who opposed these shenanigans were either denied promotion on flimsy technicalities or had their external assessments truncated. Furthermore, several reported cases of victimization of innocent union members either engineered or orchestrated by the cabal, were merely glossed over. Armed with the cabals, the university administration started trampling on the rights and privileges of academic Staff. Payment of salaries, arrears of promotion and Earned Academic Allowances, annual leave, etc were observed only in the breach after reaching agreement.
By the time Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello assumed office in 2016, the Vice Chancellor in cahoot with the coterie of sycophants, betrayers, name droppers and foot soldiers ensured that if the Visitor sneezed at the Government House Lokoja, the University literally catches cold in Anyigba.
Genesis of the Present Struggle
The Governor embarked on a long and tortuous staff screening exercise. In the process, salaries were always in breach of payment. Curiously, there were noticeable selections in payments for the most untenable reasons.
Determined to defend the autonomy of the University, ensure academic freedom and advocate for its members’ welfare, the Union, held regular but mostly fruitless
engagements with the KSU management on the need to prevail on the Governor to address a litany of issues bothering on poor funding, review of the obnoxious tax regime, domiciliation of staff pension and gratuity, irregular and delayed payment of salaries, review of the University’s law, undue interference of state actors in the governance of the University, aversion to the implementation of the Treasury Single Account as well as the lack of accountability in the financial management of the University, among others. However, rather than promptly attend to the outlined issues, the Governor and Visitor to the University spawn all entreaties from the Union, thus setting the stage for a long-drawn industrial unrest with devastating consequences on the institution.
Matters got to a head on February 2nd, 2017, when members of the ASUU KSU, Anyigba, embarked on a total and comprehensive strike to press home among others, their demand for the payment of arrears of salaries and emoluments, including Earned Academic Allowances owed its members, proper funding of the University, university autonomy and guaranteeing of academic freedom. While the strike lasted, no meaningful effort was made by the Kogi State Government to address the festering imbroglio. Rather, the government employed media campaigns against the Union, accusing its leadership of being sponsored by opposition elements in the State. Meanwhile, the branch made several attempts to interface with the Visitor but the requests were not honoured. The national body of ASUU sought audience with the Governor again and again, but none was honoured. The governor gave no chance for direct interaction either with the branch or the national body. He was fed only by the university administration and the self seeking cabals.
When the strike entered its sixth month in July, 2017, the Governor, obviously disturbed by the ground swell of negative reactions from well-meaning members of the public, prevailed on the University Council and Management to convoke ‘a town hall meeting’ on the University campus. While addressing the gathering, the Governor, rather than extend the olive branch, at the point where several of our members were owed up to 12 months salaries (those employed in 2015 and other members being victimised), openly poured invectives at the Union’s leadership and members, with threats.
Shortly after returning to Lokoja, the Governor and Visitor to the university proceeded to announce the proscription of ASUU KSU and indeed, all workers’ unions in tertiary institutions in Kogi State via a state-wide radio and television broadcast. The Governor later followed up the proscription announcement with a directive to the University management to open a register directing all striking ASUU members to either sign back to work or face imminent sack. However, the Union stuck to its ground, advising its members to shun the register as it violated the right to strike, autonomy and the principle of collective bargaining.
The Vice Chancellor quickly activated the cabal and played up both ethnic and religious and family ties, to weaken the resolve of the Union to execute the strike to its logical conclusion. Through acts of persuasion, intimidation, promise of appointments and subterfuge, the cabal succeeded to a large extent, in breaking the ranks of the Union as many of the striking ASUU members signed back to work. However, a total of 120 activists, made up of seasoned professors and senior academics refrained from endorsing the register. With a fractured membership, majority of whom had caved in under the weight of the above tendencies, leaving a small number of ASUU members still standing, it was a just a matter of when and not if, the Visitor and the University management would wield the long stick!
Thus, on August 14, 2017, the Management of the University, via a letter endorsed by the Registrar, literally signed away the jobs of the 120 striking academic staff, thereby truncating the professional pursuits of the affected staff. To further humiliate the ‘KSU 120’, the Vice Chancellor hurriedly assembled a team of loyalists to evict the sacked ASUU members from their accommodation on campus. In the past 7 years, our members have suffered 3 eviction threats.
ASUU KSU members, backed by the National leadership of the Union, has been engaging the University and the Government at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), to challenge both the proscription of the ASUU KSU Chapter and the unjust termination of the appointment of its members by the Kogi State Government.
Gentlemen of the press, it is instructive to note that both the university and government brought no allegations against the sacked members of ASUU KSU! No accusations were
levied against us because argument on being on strike cannot fly. Till date, the reason for the sack of 120 seasoned academics in KSU Anyigba was reorganization, while advertisement was placed for recruitment of staff immediately after the sack and the university left in the pre 2015 days before the rescue mission of professor Idachaba. This is why we are crying out that we are being persecuted. After seven tortuous years of legal rigmarole, both cases of proscription of ASUU KSU and termination of the KSU120 academic Staff by the Kogi State Government, despite the avalanche of decided cases and arguments marshaled by the ASUU legal team, the court ruled in favour of the government and university.
The ordeal of members of the ASUU KSU 120 is based on the overriding objectives of fighting against social injustice and restoration of the fading glory of Kogi State University, Anyigba, through constant advocacy for the enthronement of university autonomy, academic freedom as well as transparency and accountability in university governance. Many of the affected junior members of the group have acquired higher degrees even in the face of the hardships occasioned by their unlawful sack. Thanks to the union for the support. Sadly, four senior members of the KSU 120, Professors David T. Adamo, Noah Daluba, Rev.Fr, Dr. John Iyere and Dr. Timothy Oshadare, passed on in the course of the struggle. May their gentle souls rest in perfect peace.
It is noteworthy that in the face of the imbroglio, the governor set up a visitation panel and one of the recommendations of the panel is the reinstatement of the sacked 120 KSU lecturers.
CONCLUSION
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, KSU Anyigba chapter, has had a long history of struggles primarily aimed at improving the academic standard and physical infrastructure of the University as well as the welfare of its members. The periods 2008 to 2017 were marked by significant strikes and confrontations with successive governments, governing councils and vice chancellors of the University. The struggles centered on the non-implementation of agreements freely negotiated and entered into between the ASUU KSU and the University management. The resultant effects were periodic protests and strikes which disrupted academic activities. The climax of such confrontations was the 6-month strike between February 2nd, 2017 and July 2017, leading to the proscription of ASUU KSU chapter by the then Governor Yahaya Bello and the unjust termination of 120 academic staff of the University, which is still a subject of litigation.
It is noteworthy that some ASUU members, including former executive committee members of the Union allowed themselves to be recruited by the University administration and government to work against the interest of the union for self-serving reasons, thereby weakening the collective resolve to advocate for its members’ welfare as well as enthrone integrity, accountability and global best practice in university governance. Sadly, Kogi State University Anyigba, is today, a shadow of its old self, having fallen short of the dreams of its founding fathers. Let justice prevail. Let the persecution of KSU 120 end. Let there be restoration. No allegations of any infringements has been levied against us in the law court! Let justice, fairness and equity prevail.
Aluta continua, Victoria acerta
