Stop humiliating ASUU, pay them – Ohuabunwa tells FG

• Ohuabunwa said the government is trying to provoke ASUU and dare them to resume the strike
• He lamented that the strike is no longer of ASUU but all a matter of Nigerian Students, Parents, and Patriots
• Ohuabunwa said everybody should  rise up and put pressure on this government to stop humiliating and provoking University lecturers

Sam Ohuabunwa, a former PDP presidential candidate has criticized the federal government, for humiliating ASUU and being irresponsive to the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

The previous president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria noted that the sector was doomed by the government’s attitude toward education, even as the general election of 2023 drew nearer.

He made this claim in a statement, on Wednesday, a copy of which was reported by The PUNCH. Sam Ohuabunwa claimed that unintentionally encouraging ASUU to continue a strike it had just called off was what the authorities were doing.

The statement read, “I was pained to note that this out-going Federal Government has taken deliberate actions to humiliate our university lecturers.

“Every well-meaning Nigerian appealed to ASUU to call off their strike after 8 months even when they felt that their demands had not been met. They eventually complied as requested including obeying the Industrial Court order. That was humiliating enough for them to resume without achieving most (or any) of their demands but they were willing to bend over in response to the cry of parents, students, and Nigerian patriots.

“They resumed and were mobilizing to do their utmost to recover lost time. They were doing their utmost to rebuild their motivation and then go the extra mile to redeem lost time, now this half-salary matter happens to Nigeria’s lecturers.

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“This is terribly disconcerting. We are not even talking about the seven or so months that have not been paid at all. They resumed in October and they were paid pro-rata like casuals or daily paid workers for the month! If this is not utter humiliation, then what can it be?

“It is very provocative. This government is trying to provoke ASUU and dare them to resume the strike! How can a responsible government do this? They want ASUU to resume their strike as long as they satisfy their ego that they have put ASUU where they want them – under their feet. There is no consideration whatsoever of what impact this show of power will have on the already dislocated university system in Nigeria. This is completely unconscionable.”

“The government has registered two competing Trade Unions and refused to sign any new agreements or accede to any of the requests that led to the strike. I believe they have humiliated ASUU enough. If they were concerned with the well-being of Nigerian University Students and if they were concerned with the quality of education, these Nigerian government leaders ought to have appreciated that humiliated, demotivated, and demoralized lecturers can neither teach well nor do meaningful intellectual work!

“This matter is no longer for ASUU members as he that is down needed fear no fall. It is now a matter for Nigerian Students, Parents, and Patriots to rise up and put pressure on this government to stop humiliating and provoking our University lecturers if we want quality education for Nigerian students. If we had a more caring government, they would have considered paying ASUU members salary advance while discussing how to liquidate unpaid (disputed) arrears.

“Any leader with feeling should have appreciated the financial predicament of ASUU members (some who are husbands and wives) who had not been paid for nearly eight months! The consequences of this irrational humiliation and punishment of a very important segment of our National workforce will linger for a long time.

Recall that the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has advised the Federal Government against taking a chance on another ASUU strike, or industrial action, and warned that doing so could lead to a revolution.

The group lamented that the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige’s “bellicose,’s position (posture)” was indicative of the current administration’s “nonchalance to education rights of children of the poor and less-privileged in society, as the (wards of political elite) are educated abroad,” alluding to widespread reports that the university teachers were allegedly paid half salary for October 2022.

HURIWA warned the government that by “pushing millions of youth in the public university system to the wall,” it is playing with fire.