The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Ahmadu Bello University Zaria branch has accused the Federal Government of insincerity and neglect, worsening the living and working conditions of academic staff.
Speaking at a protest rally organized by the branch on Friday, the Chairman, Comrade Haruna Mohammed Jibril said the union demands include the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, funding for public University revitalization, and payment of outstanding entitlements.
“The Federal Government has refused to renegotiate the ASUU/FGN 2009 agreement fifteen years after it was signed. It would be recalled that, owing to the Union persistent call for the review of the 2009 Agreement among other demands led the Federal Government to set up the Wale Babalakin-led Joint Renegotiation Committee in 2017.”
“For irreconcilable reasons, especially due to Wale-Babalakin’s insistence on the re-introduction of the Education Bank which would lead to the introduction of exorbitant tuition fees for students, the process was stalled for over two years”
Comrade Haruna Mohammed Jibril said despite progress made in renegotiations, the government has refused to sign the draft agreement, leaving lecturers on the same salary regime since 2009.
“Furthermore, the Government has left the Nigerian Universities poorly funded”.
Allowing its infrastructural and staff development to the little funds coming from Tetfund which was meant to be an intervention agency rather than the main source of funding.
In the aftermath of the 2022 struggle, the Federal Government claimed to have budgeted the sum of one hundred and seventy billion naira (N170B) in the 2023 budget.
ASUU/ABU branch urges the public to hold the federal government responsible if a strike occurs and calls for support from parents, students, and stakeholders in their struggle for better university funding and conditions.
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The union reiterated its demand for the reinstatement of Governing Councils whose tenures have not yet expired and the reconstitution of those whose tenures have lapsed.
According to the ASUU, ABU is currently grappling with severe financial challenges exacerbated by underfunding and exorbitant electricity tariffs across the country.
These tariffs have inflated the University’s expenses to approximately N10m per day, placing immense strain on its financial resources.
Comrade Jibril said this financial burden recently resulted in disruptions to the University’s electricity supply and essential municipal services until immediate interventions were implemented.
The Union therefore called on the Federal Government to prioritize the reduction of electricity tariffs as a crucial step in supporting education and fostering sustainable development Nationwide, as prompt action on this issue will safeguard the viability of the education sector and promote the advancement of higher education in Nigeria.
