Strike Must Continue, as FG Withdraws Negotiations - ASUU Insists

Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Monday,
rejected the N130 billion the Federal Government
disbursed into the university system, as part of
efforts to persuade striking lecturers to call off the
strike action they embarked on July 2.
In a letter written to Head of National Economic Empowerment
Development Strategy, NEEDs Assessment, and Benue State
Governor, Gabriel Suswan, by President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Isa
Fagge.
The union insisted that based on the 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement
and the January 2012 Memoranda of Understanding, MoU, signed
by both parties, what was due for 2012 and 2013 was N500
billion, not N100 billion.
The letter read: "We observe that the Committee is so far
mentioning only N100 billion. If the implementation is to be related
to the funding requirements in the 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement
and the Jan 2012 MoU, what is due for 2012 and 2013 is N500
billion not N100 billion. Only the provision of this sum will meet the
immediate needs of the universities.
"Our Union is very apprehensive of the manner in which the
sources of the initial N100 billion to be used for the stimulation of
the process are shrouded in secrecy. We believe that monies that
already belong to the university system should not be blocked and
recycled. This will not only be counter-productive but will brew
even deeper crises in the system. ASUU will not accept this.
"We are also concerned that a clear procedure or process for
assessing the funds by the universities is yet to be defined. This
concern is even more germane given the statement of the
Chairman of the Committee (during the last meeting on Monday,
August 19, 2013) that the committee is taking some documents to
the Due Process Office.
"We hasten to add that while due process must be followed, it is
the sole responsibility of benefitting universities to respect all the
provisions of the Procurement Act. The meaning of your
Committee going to the Due Process Office is that it is the one
that will be responsible for awarding contracts.
"We want to make it clear that this will never be acceptable to our
Union. We believe that monies meant to fund projects in
universities should be sent to the universities just as it is the
practice with TETFund",
The union condemned allocation of construction of 2,500 bed
space hostel for N1billion, instead of 3,000 bed space for N1.2
billion.
"We are worried that instead of allocating N1.2 billion each to
construct 3,000 bed space hostels to the 10 Category 1
universities, N1.0 billion for 2,500 bed space hostel to the 16
Category 2 universities, N500 million to construct 1,250 bed
space hostels in the 12 Category 3 universities and N250 million
each to construct 625 bed space hostels in the 13 Category 4
universities, the secretariat has changed that to constructing
1,400 bed space hostels in 25 universities at the cost of N2
billion each. We see no rationale in this.
"Expending N50 billion to construct 35,000 bed space hostels
across 25 universities will be ridiculously scandalous since the
same amount can be used to construct 125,000 bed space
hostels across 51 universities. The standard cost of building a bed
space ranges from N200,000.00 to a maximum of
N400,000.00.
"This is even more worrisome given the tangential suggestions
made by the chairman that only monies for refurbishment will be
sent to universities while the rest will be handled centrally," the
union said.
The union also condemned the exclusion of 22 universities from
the allocation for refurbishment of laboratories and libraries and
three universities from the allocation for refurbishment of lecture
theatres and lecture rooms.
According to ASUU, 24 universities are denied allocation for
construction of libraries and laboratories, while two are denied
allocation for construction of new lecture theatres and lecture
rooms. 26 universities are denied allocation for construction of
hostel.