Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
The Academic Staff Union University (ASUU) has come under fire from the Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Nanah Opiah, for the ongoing standoff between the union and the Federal Government.
The Federal Government has tried its best to address the concerns presented by ASUU, but the union has been resolute about calling off the strike, according to Opiah, who expressed dismay over the 201-day-old walkout.
The minister stated that “the no work, no pay policy” is still in effect when he visited the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) in Kogi State on Friday.
The strike, he claimed, has continued to reflect poorly on the nation and has succeeded in upsetting parents and students, and the federal government cannot compensate lecturers for what they did not earn.
He alleged that the federal government had made significant infrastructure improvements in all of the nation’s higher education institutions, and he charged FUL Vice-Chancellor Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi with making an appeal to professors to resume their jobs.
The extended absence from school, he continued, has more negative effects on Nigerian pupils’ future than positive ones.
In his own words, “The federal government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has done so much, particularly in the development of the infrastructural infrastructure in our tertiary institution, because everywhere you look, you will see the presence of TETFUND, buildings, vehicles, and all kinds of institutional assets.
“Those who believe that a lack of infrastructure is one of the causes of their strike ought to reconsider. Mr. Vice Chancellor, please allow me to take this occasion to urge you and our lecturers to resume work because our kids are suffering.
“Our nation’s standing is deteriorating. These lecturers are also parents of some of our students, which makes our parents unhappy. Contrary to what they believe, some of us also have children attending universities in Nigeria, and those kids are also having problems.
“However, if we go on strike indefinitely, our kids won’t be able to attend school. We have no reason to do it. There is nothing that went wrong that we can’t fix via conversation. I am aware that practically all of the issues raised by ASUU for negotiation with the federal government have been settled.
“Aside from the fact that ASUU now demands payment for the entire six-month period during which they were off duty. The Federal Government has responded that they are unable to compensate you for the days you did not work. Let’s use the common sense approach of no labor, no compensation once. Only a thief would go to a restaurant where he didn’t work.
Lecturers should return to the classroom to beg, appeal, and renegotiate because this is no longer amusing if there should be any appeal for the Federal Government to do otherwise.
However, he gave the University his word that given the nation’s current security problems, the Federal Government will act quickly to ensure the installation of perimeter fencing.
Earlier in his remarks, Federal University Lokoja Vice Chancellor Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi expressed appreciation for the minister’s visit and noted that the current administration has made significant sacrifices to advance the university.
