By Caleb Tamunosaki
The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Wednesday said that it was tired of the endless and sterile negotiations with the Federal Government.
The union lamented that the Federal Government has continually refused to implement the outcome of agreements reached with the union after repeated negotiations.
The Branch chairman of ASUU, in FUO, Socrates Ebo, who made the comment during a press conference at Otuoke, Bayelsa State, lamented that the Federal Government had continually left the unions with the pain of unfulfilled promises.
He spoke shortly after FUO’s congress which was addressed by the union’s National Investment Secretary, Austin Sado, and the Port Harcourt zonal chairman, Stanley Ogoun.
He noted that since ASUU called off its national strike in 2020, the Federal Government had been involved in deceitful negotiation without any intent of implementation.
Ebo lamented that the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) forcibly introduced by the government had caused disruptions in the operations of federal universities, crippled the remuneration system, in addition to foisting uncertainty around the salaries of lecturers.
According to him, the IPPIS as revealed by the Auditor-General of the Federation’s report had shown that the salary payment platform “is fraught with gross loopholes that have caused the Federal Government to lose billions of Naia to sharp practices and outright inefficiency.”
He said, “We are tired of the government’s endless promises and never-ending negotiations.
“We have zeroed our demands to three major issues, among others: signing of the renegotiated 2009 agreement; adoption of University Transparency and Accountability Software (UTAS) and amendment of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Act.
“On these three issues has our union drawn the line in the sand. Months after the seeming conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, the government has engaged in a game of hide and seek in utter bad faith just to dodge having to sign the agreement.”
On the proliferation of universities, Ebo said, “The new fad nationwide is for state governments to establish universities like constituency projects. Politicians are outdoing themselves to establish universities in their villages.
“What these governors do is to establish universities they have no intention of funding, and then write to TETFUND to divert funds meant for the existing state university to their mushroom universities.”