This is the entire period of the ongoing strike.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Thursday, slammed Nigerian university lecturers under the umbrella of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for insisting on the payment of six months’ salary arrears before it would call off its strike.
This is the entire period of the ongoing strike.
The umbrella body of Nigerian students said though, it encourages the government to pay their arrears, however it is unfair to base resumption of academic activities on full payment of the arrears, while demanding immediate end to this strike.
The NANS President, Comrade Adedayo Asefon, made the condemnation in Abuja at a function tagged: "Public Education System On The Brink Of Collapse: Rescue It Now Or Prepare For The Alternative".
Asefon said the lecturers’ demand is not only insensitive,"it is also selfish, inconsiderate, and uncharitable.”
“The six months are periods of no work," he added.
The NANS president, however, asked the governors to immediately direct their state universities to open without further delay since they will not be a beneficiary of ASUU demands from the federal government.
He stated, "We have directed our protests, advocacy, and struggles against the Federal Government, requesting the government to accede to the demands of the strike lecturers.
"We have supported their demand for earned allowance, revitalization funds for tertiary institutions, and the adoption of the UTAS platform for the payment of university lecturers against the Federal Government's insistence on IPPIS.
“We had rejected the Minister of Education’s suggestion that students hold ASUU responsible and seek legal compensation for liabilities suffered as a result of the strike.
"We have supported them this far because we believed those demands are just and reasonable.
"We call on all the State Governors at all levels to ensure that all our State Universities are open now because the state university will not be a beneficiary of ASUU Demand from the federal government as Governor's are responsible for the founding of their state universities.
"However, we condemn in totality the insistence of ASUU on the payment of a six months arrears salary for the entire period of the strike before they can call off the strike. This demand is not only insensitive; it is also selfish, inconsiderate, and uncharitable. The six months are periods of no work. As much as we encourage the government to pay their arrears irrespective, it is unfair to base resumption of academic activities on full payment of the arrears."
He added, "We have also, unfortunately, noticed that since the beginning of the strike, ASUU had refused to put the students who are the major losers into consideration whatsoever. They have hidden from us the major areas of contention. Every other stakeholder, except ASUU, has met with us directly to discuss the issues.
"ASUU had masqueraded some of their interests as the interest of tertiary education in Nigeria, and at some point, masqueraded their interest as the interest of the students. We know that ASUU is less concerned about the interest of the students because of our experiences with them at our various tertiary institutions.
"University authorities have used ASUU members and leaders to expel, suspend and rusticate students for merely protesting for improved welfare. They expel and rusticate students for protesting for basic needs such as water, power, habitable hostel accommodation, etc. At some time, their anti-students’ actions are so reckless that you continue to wonder if these lecturers even understand the right to dissent.
"ASUU members arbitrarily fail students for questioning their positions or opinion and sometimes asking too many questions. These same people cannot suddenly turn around to claim they are fighting for our interest, our interest they trample upon at every given opportunity at our various tertiary institutions.
“We believe that if the government has met substantially major areas of their demand, ASUU should tread the path of honour by calling off the strike. We no longer believe that this continuous strike is fashionable, reasonable, justifiable, and necessary.
"If the Federal Government has acceded to most of the requests that necessitated the strike in the first place, the continuation of the strike means there may be other ulterior motives not known to the public and the students and we will no longer continue to support ASUU to hold the nation and tertiary education ransom. Demanding six-month salary arrears before calling off the strike just like kidnappers demand their ransom before releasing their victim."
"The rule of law is the touchstone of a civilized society. If ASSU leadership and its members are insisting that their six months’ salary that they’ve been on strike be paid as against section 43 of the Trade Disputes Act which maintains that striking workers are not entitled to their remunerations, who is going to pay the students for their six months house rent and other expenses?
"We demand an immediate end to this strike, as we encourage the government to fulfill all their promises to ASUU in good faith.
"Our interest is an end to the incessant strike in our tertiary intuitions and nothing more," NANS said.