ASUU Breaking News This Afternoon, Oct. 28

Brainnews is back this afternoon to update you on the latest on the ongoing nationwide ASUU strike.

Below is the latest updates:

1. Public varsity students in limbo as ASUU, FG foot-drag over strike

GRACE EDEMA writes on the faceoff between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, which has led to a strike of about seven months by lecturers of the nation’s ivory towers

Aside from passing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and the post-UTME, one of the fears of Nigerian admission seekers is the unknown number of years they may spend in the public tertiary institutions when and if admitted.

When students are unable to finish their programmes at the specified time due to one industrial action or the other, they get weary as their hopes are dashed and the future looks bleak.

In Nigeria, studies have shown that if a student does not have an extra year, it is certain that a strike action will elongate his stay on campus.

Over time, several unions on Nigerian campuses have always employed the use of industrial action to drive home their point with the Federal Government, which they claim has a penchant for dishonouring agreements.

Recently, the Federal Government called on tertiary institutions of learning to resume on October 12, 2020, after the long break necessitated by the COVID-19 lockdown, which began on March 20, 2020.

2. Why we haven’t called off strike – ASUU

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities has said it has yet to call off its ongoing strike because it is waiting for the government to conduct an integrity test on the University Transparency and Accountability Solution.

The UTAS is the payment platform created by ASUU in place of government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.

ASSU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi in an interview with The PUNCH said the government needed to give the clearance to National Information Technology Development Agency to conduct integrity test on UTAS.

“The integrity test will be handled by NITDA, it is government that will facilitate it because NITDA is a government, agency and unless you get clearance from the government that test cannot be conducted.”

3. Ebonyi varsity ASUU proscription an aberration, says Ogunyemi

National President, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, has described the proscription of the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, chapter of the union as an aberration.

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, was reported to have proscribed the ASUU in EBSU.

Umahi, who met with the leadership of the unions, had said, “The decision was taken in order to ensure that academic and non-academic unions’ activities do not negatively affect the resumption of EBSU and the commencement of academic and non-academic activities in the state-owned university.”

4. Students are real losers of government, ASUU crisis – Aje, U.S. varsity dean

Dr John Aje is the Dean, School of Applied Science and Technology at Thomas Edison State University, United States of America. The former acting chair of the Technology and Engineering Systems Department for University of Maryland University College, the Graduate School, shares his thoughts on the recent #EndSARS protests and the challenges facing Nigeria’s educational system with ALEXANDER OKERE

Nigerians all over the world have been reacting to the recent protests by thousands of youths calling for an end to police brutality, among other issues. As a Nigerian, what is your reaction?

I am definitely saddened and concerned but not surprised. Most of us believe that this is just a microcosm of some larger issues that we hope the leadership of the country would address. Official statistics show that over 50 per cent of Nigerians are unemployed or underemployed and this percentage is much higher for the youth. In a country that is supposed to have one of the fastest growing populations in the world, with the highest percentage of this being educated unemployed youths, it is a situation that needs to be addressed with all seriousness devoid of any political agenda. It is my opinion that most of our youths are in vulnerable situations. Many of us have heard it said in different forms that how a society treats its most vulnerable is a measure of its humanity. It breaks my heart to see Africans trying to migrate to Europe in search of a better life being sold as slaves in Libya or stuck in inhumane detention camps.

What kind of police reforms would you like to see in Nigeria, based on your experience in the US?

This is a very important issue that even the US is battling with, especially after the recent national and international protests against the killing and abuse of minorities by some police officers. It is a systemic problem and taking care of a specific bad event, episode or unit does not provide a permanent solution. When your house is on fire, you definitely want to put out the fire immediately but to hopefully prevent a recurrence in the future; you want to also take some time to understand the cause of the fire.

Many law enforcement agents forget that, first and foremost, their duty is to protect and serve the population and not use the power of the law to harass and exercise power over people. Any police reform, in my opinion, will include a combination of selective recruitment, proper training, checks and balances that hold bad performers accountable, and appropriate compensation and incentives.

5. Govt proscribes ASUU, NASU, others in Ebonyi varsity

The Ebonyi State Government on Thursday announced the proscription of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the Non-Academic Staff Union and others at the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki.

The only body currently allowed to exist in the university is the Students’ Union Government.

The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, who met with leadership of the unions, said, “The decision was taken in order to ensure that academic and non-academic unions’ activities do not negatively affect the resumption of EBSU and commencement of academic/ non-academic activities in the state-owned university.”

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Education, Dr Onyebuchi Chima, said approval had been given for the release of N500m for the payment of staff salaries.

He added that the institution was also granted a loan of N300m for the commencement of SMEs towards boosting its Internally Generated Revenue, while the state’s mushroom and the citrus farms were also donated to the school.

Brainnews

Eyo Nse is a creative writer, blogger and a software engineer.He is a simple individual who loves to see others succeed in life.Mr Wisdytech as he is popularly known - started blogging in the early 2000's.