ASUU’s N1.58tr war

By IKENNA EMEWU

•Exclusive full report of 21-point vexed agreement
•How we lost 34 months to strike in 14 years

At the latest and current onslaught, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), simply put, all lecturers in all federal and state universities, have been at war for about 110 days with the Federal Government.
It is a war Nigerians are aware of but don’t have the details of what really transpired in the much cited 2009 agreement
And from Abuja Metro investigations, the nation’s university system has lost close to three years to strike in 14 years. It is a total of about 33 months, 15 days as at today and the count continues until the last day of the present strike.
Because these strikes were not continuous, it unleashed 14 interruptions in 14 years, indicating that no year has been spared of ASUU strike in the period in review. Of the years, 2004 and 2012 that would have escaped the endless and fruitless strikes inherited protracted wars that spilled over to them from the previous years.
Ironically, the 2009 four-month strike that led to the disputed agreement that still causes wars till now was immediately followed the following year with a longer crisis that lasted five months and one week.
From the document in our possession from the Senate Committee on Education, ASUU entered into a 21-point deed with the FG in 1999, as a way of putting a stop to the endless strikes. Clauses 1 -6 of the agreement involve benefits of the university teachers to enable them work better.
Clauses 7 to 21, which constitute the bulk of the agreement are about making the universities better and suitable for learning. Outside the major issues, the agreement contains 27 sub clauses on conditions of implementation.
But the major point of disagreement is the funding of universities in Clause 7 whose cost is reduced to monetary figures. ASUU asked the FG to better fund the universities and that entailed a three-year plan. But the total proposed figure for the better funding amounts to N1,518,331,545,304 (One trillion, five hundred and eighteen billion, three hundred and thirty one million, five hundred and forty five thousand, three hundred and four naira)
A breakdown of the funding into three years which the FG also admitted to adhere to itemized average of N472, 031,575, 919 in 2009, N497,331, 778, 701 for 2010, and N548,768,190, 681 for 2011. Apart from full implementation, it is doubtful if the FG ever funded the universities in the past years with these sums as agreed to in a pact it executed as ASUU’s reason for strikes has remained the non-implementation of the agreement.
If there is any impossibility in the agreement signed by the two parties, it is essentially Clause 7(b) that states that “Each State University shall require N3,680,018 per student for the period 2009 – 2011.”
In Clause 7 (c)(d)  the agreement itemized that:  “A minimum of 26 per cent of the annual budget of the state and federal government be devoted to education,” and that: Education should be put on a ‘First Charge’” in the budget respectively.
At the Senate last week, while debate was on, Senator Adeyeye, a professor who represents one of the constituencies in Osun State faulted both the government for entering into impossible agreement and ASUU for drafting impossible and untenable conditions in the agreement. He questioned the rationale of compelling the FG in a deed to fund state universities it does not own and did not set up. He saw FG’s acceptance as irrational. But most of all, Adeyeye could not understand why lecturers could require allowances to supervise examinations, post graduate students works and other academic related works. His argument is that these constitute the core of lectureship and there is no need to pay lecturers extra benefits for doing the work for which they are lecturers.
The academic senator said the condition does not obtain anywhere in the academic world where teachers should be paid special benefits for teaching and marking exam scripts.
But there was none however that faulted the issue of funding as they agreed the demand by the lecturers for such is in order and for the good of the education system. The details of the agreement are presented fully, the first time in media report.

ASUU ASTRIKES SINCE 1999


1999 – 5 months
2001 – 3 months
2003 – 6 months that stretched into early 2004
2005 – 3 days
2006 – 1 week
2007 – 3 months
2008 – 1 week
2009 – 4 months
2010 – 5 months, 1 week
2011 – 3 months that extended into 2012
2013 – over 3 months
Total – 33 months, about 15 days

ASUU/FG 2009 AGREEMENT
In October 2009 the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) entered into an agreement which covers the following areas:

1.     Salary structure for academic staff of Nigerian universities;
2.     Earned academic allowances.
Post graduate supervision allowance, teaching practice/industrial supervision/field trip allowances, honoraria for external/internal examiner (postgraduate thesis), Honoraria for External Moderator of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Examinations, Postgraduate Study grant, External Assessment of Readers of professors, Call Duty/Clinical Hazard, Responsibility Allowance, excess Workload Allowance.

3.  Non-salary Condition of Service Vehicle Loan/car Refurbishing Loan, Housing Loan, Research leave, sabbatical Leave, Sick Leave, Maternity Leave, Injury pension, Staff Schools, provision of Accommodation and facilities.
4.  Pension of University academic Staff and compulsory Retirement Age.

5.  Formation of the Nigerian University Pension Fund Administrator.

6.  National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

7.  Funding of Universities:
a.  All regular federal universities shall require the sum of One Trillion, Five Hundred and Eighteen Billion, Three Hundred and Thirty-One Million, Five Hundred and Forty-Five Thousand, Three Hundred and Four Naira (N1, 518, 331, 545, 304) only for the period 2009 – 2011 as follows:
2009  -  N472, 031, 575, 919
2010 -  N497, 331, 778, 701
2011 - N548, 768, 190, 681

b. Each State University shall require N3,680,018 per student for the period 2009 – 2011 as follows:
2009  – N1,144, 075
2010  - N1, 205, 880
2011 - N1, 330, 063

c.  A minimum of 26% of the Annual Budget of the State and Federal Government be.

d. Education should be put on a ‘First Charge’

e.  Federal Government Assistance to States for Higher education

f.  Education Tax Fund Act to be amended to its original conception as Higher Education  Fund

g.  Governing Council of Universities shall access and effectively utilize funds from PTDF for research, training and development of Academic Staff

8. Transfer of Landed Property

9. Patronage of University Services

10.Funds from Alumni Association

11. Private Sector Contributions

12. Cost Saving Measure

13. Duty Free Importation of Educational Materials by Universities

14. Setting up Research Development Unit by Companies operating in Nigeria.
15. Budget Monitoring Committee. Each University Council shall set up Budget Monitoring Committee.

16. University Post Doctoral Fellowship: Each University Governing Council should introduce Post Doctoral Fellowship Leave with pay outside Nigeria.

17.  Provision for teaching and Research Development

18. National Research Fund

19.  University Autonomy and Academic Freedom:
a. Membership of Governing councils

b. Review of Laws that impede University Autonomy, Academic Freedom, Internal Accountability and Transparency.

c. Sole Administrators for Nigerian Universities. No Sole Administrator.

d. Pre-Degree/Remedial Programmes to be limited.

e. Pyramidal structure of Academic Staff Establishment in Universities.

f. Expenditures on Academic Affairs

20.   Issues that require legislation:
a. Joint Admission and matriculation Board (JAMB) Act 2004 to provide for better collaboration between JAMB and the Universities consistent with the autonomy of the Universities.

b.  Amendment of the National Universities Commission Act 2004 to make its provision more consistent with University Autonomy and powers of the Senate on Academic matters.

c.  Amendment of the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act 2004 to better articulate the co-coordinating function of the NUC in the accreditation exercise and the establishment of Minimum standards.

21. Setting up an Implementation Monitoring Committee to monitor the implementation of the Agreement with the following members
a. Two members representing the Committee of Pro Chancellors

b. The Chairman Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Federal Universities (CVC)

c. One member representing NUC as Secretary

d. One member representing the Federal Ministry of Education

e. Five members representing ASUU and
f. A recommendation that the following be members of the Committee:
•One Representative of the Senate Committee on Education
•One Representative of the House Committee on Education.
•Chairman Committee of Pro Chancellors of State Universities
•Chairman Committee of Vice Chancellors of State Universities.