Former Military Administrator of Taraba and
Oyo States, Dr Amen Oyakhire has asked the
Federal Government to address the grievances
of members of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, which has led to the closure of universities in the last 88 days,
saying that ‘’government is not treating ASUU
properly.’’ Oyakhire spoke in an interview with Saturday
Vanguard in Benin City, as the strike by ASUU
entred its 88th day today. This was even as the Arewa Consultative
Forum, ACF, also yesterday called on the
Federal Government and ASUU to reach
amicable settlement to end the ongoing strike
by university lecturers. National Publicity Secretary of ACF, Mr Anthony
Sani, who made this known said the strike had
brought untold hardship on students, parents
and the education sector, and needed to be
called off. In Bida, Niger State, the Academic Staff Union
of Polytechnics, ASUP, also asked the National
Assembly to fast track the amendment of the
Polytechnic Act to meet modern reality. ASUP National President, Mr Chibuzor
Asomugha, spoke at the union’s 75th National
Executive Council Meeting at the Federal
Polytechnic, Bida. ASUU had on July 1, this year embarked on a
strike it described as “comprehensive, total
and indefinite,” following the non-
implementation of a Memorandum of
Understanding, MoU, the union signed with the
Federal Government in 2009. Last Thursday, the Nigeria Union of Teachers,
NUT, also gave the Federal Government a two-
weeks ultimatum to resolve its problem with
ASUU to avert the total closure of all public
schools in the country. The NUT is made up of teachers in public
primary and secondary schools across Nigeria.
NUT President, Michael Olukoya, gave the
ultimatum in Abuja at the end of the union’s
meeting with teachers’ representatives across
the country. Olukoya stressed that members of the union
would not hesitate to close down the nation’s
schools, if the two parties failed to reach
agreement after two weeks, adding that ‘’the
current ASUU strike is nationalistic, patriotic
and self-sacrificing.’’ According to Olukoya, “We will not hesitate to
shut down the education system in the country,
if the government fails to fulfill or honour the
agreement it entered into with the lecturers,”
he said. However, Oyakhire said, ‘’Education is life,
education is a nation and if a nation closes its
doors against education, generations will perish
for lack of knowledge. We have the resources
in Nigeria to give our children the best in
education. Education is expensive but if we leave it we can try ignorance and we will see
the disaster.” On its own, ASUP said that the last amendment
of the Polythechnic Law was done in 2004,
adding that it had become obsolete and
unusable to meet the challenges of the times. The president said the House of
Representative had conducted public hearing
on the amendment, adding that it should be
sent to the Senate. Asomugha said government had to face reality
and understand that working under pressure
would not help the tertiary education sector. He decried the discrimination against HND
graduates in the public service, adding that the
demeaning of their career progression was a
huge challenge to the sector. Asomugha said out of 15 issues they tabled
before the Minister of Education in 2011, only
two had been met partly. This, he said, include the migration of
Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary
Structure, CONTISS, 15 which government
refuse to release the circular for
implementation. He stressed that polytechnics should not be
short-change for universities, arguing that the
cut of marks for polytechnics should be at par
with universities. According to him, there is no different cut of
mark in the school certificate for entrance into
tertiary institution. The ACF decried the non availability of
international flights from the North, insisting
that it was not in the best interest of the
nation’s economy
Oyo States, Dr Amen Oyakhire has asked the
Federal Government to address the grievances
of members of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, which has led to the closure of universities in the last 88 days,
saying that ‘’government is not treating ASUU
properly.’’ Oyakhire spoke in an interview with Saturday
Vanguard in Benin City, as the strike by ASUU
entred its 88th day today. This was even as the Arewa Consultative
Forum, ACF, also yesterday called on the
Federal Government and ASUU to reach
amicable settlement to end the ongoing strike
by university lecturers. National Publicity Secretary of ACF, Mr Anthony
Sani, who made this known said the strike had
brought untold hardship on students, parents
and the education sector, and needed to be
called off. In Bida, Niger State, the Academic Staff Union
of Polytechnics, ASUP, also asked the National
Assembly to fast track the amendment of the
Polytechnic Act to meet modern reality. ASUP National President, Mr Chibuzor
Asomugha, spoke at the union’s 75th National
Executive Council Meeting at the Federal
Polytechnic, Bida. ASUU had on July 1, this year embarked on a
strike it described as “comprehensive, total
and indefinite,” following the non-
implementation of a Memorandum of
Understanding, MoU, the union signed with the
Federal Government in 2009. Last Thursday, the Nigeria Union of Teachers,
NUT, also gave the Federal Government a two-
weeks ultimatum to resolve its problem with
ASUU to avert the total closure of all public
schools in the country. The NUT is made up of teachers in public
primary and secondary schools across Nigeria.
NUT President, Michael Olukoya, gave the
ultimatum in Abuja at the end of the union’s
meeting with teachers’ representatives across
the country. Olukoya stressed that members of the union
would not hesitate to close down the nation’s
schools, if the two parties failed to reach
agreement after two weeks, adding that ‘’the
current ASUU strike is nationalistic, patriotic
and self-sacrificing.’’ According to Olukoya, “We will not hesitate to
shut down the education system in the country,
if the government fails to fulfill or honour the
agreement it entered into with the lecturers,”
he said. However, Oyakhire said, ‘’Education is life,
education is a nation and if a nation closes its
doors against education, generations will perish
for lack of knowledge. We have the resources
in Nigeria to give our children the best in
education. Education is expensive but if we leave it we can try ignorance and we will see
the disaster.” On its own, ASUP said that the last amendment
of the Polythechnic Law was done in 2004,
adding that it had become obsolete and
unusable to meet the challenges of the times. The president said the House of
Representative had conducted public hearing
on the amendment, adding that it should be
sent to the Senate. Asomugha said government had to face reality
and understand that working under pressure
would not help the tertiary education sector. He decried the discrimination against HND
graduates in the public service, adding that the
demeaning of their career progression was a
huge challenge to the sector. Asomugha said out of 15 issues they tabled
before the Minister of Education in 2011, only
two had been met partly. This, he said, include the migration of
Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary
Structure, CONTISS, 15 which government
refuse to release the circular for
implementation. He stressed that polytechnics should not be
short-change for universities, arguing that the
cut of marks for polytechnics should be at par
with universities. According to him, there is no different cut of
mark in the school certificate for entrance into
tertiary institution. The ACF decried the non availability of
international flights from the North, insisting
that it was not in the best interest of the
nation’s economy
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