Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Plateau State University on Tuesday staged a protest in compliance with the directive of the National Secretariat of the union.
They were joined by the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Shedrack Best, and the National President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Pikwuna, during the protest, which took place at the university campus in Bokkos Local Government Area of the state.
The union’s chairman, Dr Monday Hassan Zitta, read a press statement during the protest, highlighting the union’s demands.
He said, “Feelers across campuses indicate that lecturers in Nigerian public universities are, to put it mildly, not happy. They teach students on an empty stomach. They conduct research in libraries and laboratories bereft of essential electronic and physical journals, books, chemicals and reagents.
“They engage with communities and agencies in rickety cars while encumbered by utility bills, children’s fees, house rents, family upkeep and a legion of other unmet responsibilities.
“Yet elite Nigerians are quick to blame the universities for ‘producing unemployable graduates’ and failing to initiate innovative research for addressing the country’s problems; our members feel forgotten, shamed and demoralised by past and present governments.”
ASUU is calling on the government to address the lingering labour issues in the Nigerian university system to avert another looming industrial crisis.
“We are particularly calling on the Federal Government to pay the balance of the earned academic allowance and the unpaid and withheld salary arrears of our members, which are all captured in the 2023 budget.
“Government should also check the proliferation of universities in the country and remove universities from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), among others,” Dr Zitta said.
The union stressed that university lecturers had been on the same salary structure for 15 years, which is detrimental to the university system.
“As we speak, university lecturers have been on the same salary structure for 15 years, and that’s very bad for the university system,” Dr Zitta lamented.
ASUU also expressed worry over the enforcement of IPPIS, describing it as an attempt to undermine the autonomy of public universities in Nigeria.
“The enforcement of IPPIS and the desperate efforts to reject the most efficient UTAS are an attempt to undermine the autonomy of public universities in Nigeria,” the union stated.
The ASUU National President said the union would not stop until the issues are resolved.
“We are ready to fight to get the issues resolved, but there won’t be any need for that if only the government can listen at this time and do the needful.” Piwuna added
The protest illustrates Nigerian academics’ rising frustration and the necessity for the government to take tangible steps to address their concerns.
According to our correspondent, ASUU members held a similar protest at the University of Jos on Tuesday, urging the government to act immediately to avoid a national strike in public colleges.
