ASUP suspends 10-month old strike, Polytechnics to resume Tuesday

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has suspended its 10-month old strike. The strike which started in October 2013 was suspended today Saturday July 12th the National Executive Council of the association.

Rising from a meeting this morning in Abuja, the ASUP NEC decided to suspend the strike which has seen polytechnic students stay at home in the last ten months.

The National Publicity Secretary of ASUP, Clement Chirman announced the suspension and also stated that academic activities would resume in all polytechnics nationwide from Tuesday July 15th. The ASUP leadership held what it termed a fruitful meeting with the newly sworn in Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau on Thursday July 10th.

Am so so happy for them and this is sign of change in power.Good job Mr shekarau
 

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE NEW VC OF UNIABUJA(Prof Adikwu)

I was so pleased and fascinated to hear of your appointment as the Vice-Chancellor of this great institution, University of Abuja. Certainly, competence, willingness, focus, trust, goals oriented as well as having the spirit of leadership must have contributed immensely to you being selected out of the enormous candidates that applied for the prestigious post. Truly many were called but you are the chosen and i don’t only see victory, I see hope, a new dawn and brighter days ahead of the school under your leadership.

I know most of the students like me are delighted about your appointment but are derailed from celebration because of the industrial action embarked on by ASUU & SSANU in June. I believe that success lies in dealing with problems and challenges promptly and thoroughly. As a leader, you expect challenges and problems, though may not be easy but it’s always possible to achieve success over it. Returning back the students back to their classrooms should be your major priority after you’ve been sworn in and also finding a lasting solution to the problem. The students are frustrated and tired of series of strikes haven’t dissipated most of our time at home doing nothing thereby exposing us to risk and setting us backward in our various academic prospects.

Mr. VC it will be a thing of joy to know that after your assumption of office, much focus is placed on how the school will move forward rather than attending more on the successes and failures of the past administration. Time spent on this I know cannot do any good to your five years in office, it will only but cause delay in achieving your agenda.

Max Lucado said “a man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd”. Complacence can be attained in leadership when limits are placed on the way dictations are made by the crowd. Being in a new environment, watch! Because a lot will try to dictate, control and put you under their auspice. Though it may cause you treading on toes but albeit you will conquer and that will lead to great success in your administration because it is said that one of the keys to failure is trying to please everybody.

Another vital and important thing that should be resuscitated in the school is unity. I hope you use your good office to harness unity among the staff, students, different tribes & religion, also various unions in the school. It takes both the sun and the rain to grow the flower, so it will be profitable reconditioning all factions to be solution focused rather than problem focused. Sir the whole Nation is awaiting you to turn around the bad image of the school to the opposite, this can be achieved if we all are carried along. We all know that united we stand and divided we fall.

I look forward to seeing changes in our classrooms, hostels, power supply and all round social amenities and infrastructures. Improve in academics should not also be left out, introduction of more lecturers that are competent and qualified, as well as the adjustment of the academic calendar.

In closing, may I borrow the thought of Jim Rohn “the challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humour, but without folly” I wish you success as you make history and I am optimistic that you will exceed our expectations.

BY SHOGAT MCCOY

New UNIAbuja VC promises to re-unite warring factions

The new Vice-Chancellor of University of Abuja, Prof. Michael Adikwu, has promised to reconcile the warring staff unions of the university, which  he said have brought the institution to its knees in the last few years.

Members of the university branch of Academic Staff Unions of Universities and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities are currently on strike over alleged unpaid allowances and non-release of White Paper on the Visitation Panel to the university.

The strike disrupted the conduct of the second semester examinations which led to series of protest by aggrieved students.

The school was eventually closed down by the immediate past Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. James Adelabu.

But  Adikwu, who took over the mantle of leadership of the institution on Tuesday, said his first assignment was to restore order by reconciling various factions and interests groups within the institution.

Until his appointment, Adikwu was a lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

He said academics should not be politicised, adding that what was important was for all stakeholders to work in harmony to raise the bar of academic standards of the university.

The new Vice Chancellor pledged to ensure that the university had the best academic standard in Nigeria.

Adikwu, said,  “The running of a university is a pilgrimage, it is a continuous process. I will ensure there is best academic standard in the school. As I was informed the school is currently on forced vacation, so the first approach is to see how we can bring back both the lecturers and students of the school, so that normal academic activities resume soonest.

“It is imperative to reconcile everybody in this university because without reconciliation we cannot move forward. We should not allow our school to be politicalized  and education should be used to solve socio-economic problems and not to create more problems. I am going to work out modality to ensure stability in University of Abuja community.” source www.punchng.com 

ASUU strike: Media reports orchestrated; FG added no dime, no improvement – Union

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused theFederal Government of sponsoring media campaign to force it to end the ongoing industrial action.According to the union, its indefinite strike which started on July 2, still stands, irrespective of the move by government to discredit its leadership.Chairman of ASUU, University of Abuja chapter, Clement Chup, had on Sunday in an interview with DailyIndependent, also denied a purported meeting at the State House, Abuja, with Vice President Namadi Sambo, where it was claimed that government further shifted grounds on the demands of the Union.An online news medium had reported that there was an appreciable progress in the ongoing negotiations between ASUU and the Vice President, particularly on the controversial earned allowances for the striking lecturers.In the report, government was alleged to have further shifted ground on the demands made by the Union, by agreeing to add N10 billion to the N30 billion initially provided for the settlement of earned allowances, making it N40 billion.It was also reported that government had shored up the N100 billion meant for infrastructure to N150 billion with apledge to periodically inject more funds into the system in line with the Needs Implementation Committee chaired by Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswan.Chup in his reaction, said “I read the mischievous report online myself, but I am telling you authoritatively that there was no such meeting.“Government is only trying to use propaganda and cheap blackmail tomake us call off this strike, but it will not work.“Our strike is still very much on course, in fact, ASUU will soon release a position paper on these developments, we are used to this kind of blackmail from government,” Chup said.On his part, Chairman of the Ambrose Alli University chapter of ASUU, Fred Esumeh, attributed the strike to failed leadership on the part of government, saying over 53 letters urging government to implement the 2009 agreement were transmitted prior to the strike.“As I keep saying, this strike is a product of failed leadership on the part of government; this is because we had series of dialogue to reach an agreement.“An agreement reached since 2009 that has not been implemented up till now, obviously it is a product of failed leadership, before this time that we commenced strike, there have been over 53 letters, not to talk of several meetings with the House and Senate committees on education to intervene.“I do not think ASUU is loosing public sympathy, because what we see in our electronic media and perhaps few print media is sponsored protest.“Like the one organised by the market women, that one is laughable, you could see that it is government sponsored.“Then of course, the guy that parades himself as NANS President,Yinka Gbadebo, a diploma student in OAU, who was rusticated from Ekiti State University.“A diploma student cannot even contest to be an SUG president and to be a NANS president, you must be from SUG presidents all over thefederation, so we know these people are sponsored by government,” Esumeh said....source-dailypost

ASUU strike: UNIABUJA student attempts suicide, says it was a better option

The ongoing strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU took a different turn on Saturday at the Dutse-Alhaji area of Abuja when a female student of the University of Abuja made to hang herself in protest of the nearly four months old strike.The female student identified as Jane Okoro had already hanged herself, but fell off theceiling while struggling, apparently because the rope she used was not strong enough.Jane had sent her two youngerbrothers on an errand, just a way of sending them out of the house to be able to carry out the abominable act, but one of the brothers returned after 15 minutes and saw her on the floor with a rope tied round her neck while another rope dangled from the ceiling fan. The 15 year old boy raised the alarm, thinking thathis sister was dead, attracting neighbours and other onlookers into their compound. However, it was discovered by those who got there first, that Jane was alive as it was only a suicide attempt.The boy, who was identified as Andrew had told our correspondent that the sister was behaving so strange throughout that morning. He said, ” She was to go to the market with my mum, but said she was not feeling too well. While we were at home with her, she refused to talk. She was always on her Blackberry. Shortly after she had her bath, she sent us to First-Gate (market), but I left some money I wanted to use to buy my personal stuff at home, so upon return, I saw her on the floor of our parlour. I even thought she was dead, so I shouted.”Meanwhile, the mother who returned from the market immediately after the news got to her had told our correspondent in tears that, her daughter must have attempted to commit suicide because of the ongoing ASUU strike. She said, I will ask her questions on why she wanted to do this to us. She has been complaining to me about this ASUU strike. She said, at her age, she should have been done with school, and begin to take care of the children and I. Her father is late. I know that only this week, she had complained to me up to 6times on how frustrating this strike has been. I know other things may have contributed, but ASUU strike may have contributed the most; but for whatever reason, it was devilish for my daughter to have attempted suicide.” She said.Asked what she was going to do about the situation, she said ” I will take her to my Pastor this evening. She needsprayers. We need somebody to talk to her. God will do the miracle for me. I didn’t do anything to anybody. I must not suffer for nothing. She is already in her third year in school. What would I have done if this had happened?”Attempt to speak with Jane failed as she could not respond to questions from our correspondent. The only statement she muttered was ” It was a better option”.The mother had later asked our correspondent to leave her to rest. She said ” she will talk to you after we see our Pastor. She will give the testimony herself.”However, a female friend of Jane who had pleaded not to be mentioned showed our correspondent her recent conversation with Jane on her Blackberry. She said ” my last chat with her was on this very ASUU strike. See what she posted, ” I tire for these ASUU peopleoooo” She showed our correspondent the chat.

ASUU to meet over strike, saysnot under pressure

THE National Strike Coordinating Committee, NSCC, comprising of principal officers and Zonal Coordinators of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU will be meeting Saturday to take stock of the ongoing strike embarked by the union that is entering the fourth months.Meantime, ASUU said that it was not under any pressure to call-off the strike despite what it called sponsored protests and rallies against the union, stressing that before the union decided to embarkon the strike, it holistically took objective assessment of the situation.One of the branch Chairmen of ASUU and member of NSCC who spoke exclusively to Saturday Vanguard on the condition of anonymity said that the meeting willtake place in Ondo state and that there would be a situation report including the meeting representatives of ASUU had with the Federal government last week’s Friday.He said,”We are meeting tomorrow,National Strike Coordinating Committee. Tomorrow is arrival. Our Principal officers and Zonal Coordinators met with government last week Friday, one week today, sowe want to discus the outcome of the meeting, after that we will now meet.”Commenting on the plethora of protests by different groups over the strike which could be mounting pressure on the union to call off thestrike, he said that “There is no pressure on us. We look at things objectively and remember that evenme as I am talking we cannot suspend the strike.“We have to get inputs from the branches that is why our strike is always very tight, because before we declared the strike, we have collected inputs from all branch officers in the universities in Nigeria, we collated it, discussed it extensively for two days before we declared the strike.“And if there is any offer made by government, we have to look at it, that is the principal officers ten of them in number, the zonal coordinators who take over functions of NEC during the strike, so, they will look at what government has offered, brief us the branch chair persons then it is at this point we will now know whether to convene an emergency NEC to look at it holistically.“By the time they are briefing us, they will also ask us to brief our committee members and take the issue to the congress, it is not a oneman show, all these ones they are talking about politics it is not true, the process right from the least of all the lecturers to the highest that is the professor from each branch, we collate all their responses, it is only when they advice us to suspend that we suspend, it is not just one man show.”He explained that during strike situation, the National Strike Coordinating Committee comprising of principal officers andzonal coordinators always take overthe functions of NEC, adding, “everysingle week, the zonal coordinators will take the information to the various branches who will now takethe information to congress, collating information from congress, the branch chairman will take it back to the zonal coordinator, the zonal coordinator takes it back to NSCC, the reason is that NEC has the larger component,we are many.”He said that the reason behind allowing the smaller number of officers to meet during strike situation was to cut cost.“Why NEC cannot meet during the strike is because of cost, we are more in number. In NEC we have over 100 people, but NSCC will be between 10 and 20, so it is manageable, we have a channel of communication.”All attempts made to call the National President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagge failed as he neither picked calls put across his GSM linenor replied the text message sent tohim.

ASUU Strike: Government Blinks, Agrees To Spend N200b Each For Four Years To Bring Nigerian Universities Up To World Standard

Towards ending the ongoing ASUU strike, the Federal Government has committed to spending N200 billionin the 2014 budget on the universities as well as on each of the next three-four years until the universities are brought to world-class standard. This is in addition to the N100 billion dedicated and already made available for 2013.The government has also increased to N40 billion as a first installment, funds for the payment of earned allowances to the striking lecturers, an improvement from the N30 billion previously released.This information is contained in an internal Federal University of Otuoke statement by Professor Bolaji Aluko, its Vice-Chancellor, seen on Wednesday night by SaharaReporters.On the earned allowances, he explained, “Government will top it up with further releases once universities are through with the disbursement of this new figure of N40 million, so Vice-Chancellors areurged to expedite this disbursement within the shortest possible time using guiding templates that have been sent by the CVC,” the circular said.Professor Aluko said the development followed meetings on September 19 and Oct 11 of representatives of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, led by CVC Chairman, Prof. Hamisu of ATBU and ASUU Representatives led by its President,Dr. N. Fagge with the Vice-Presidentof the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Arc. Namadi. Sambo, Minister of Education Barr. N. Wike and others.Of great interest to stakeholders, Vice-President Sambo, appealing to ASUU to call off the strike, apologized for the "take-it-or-leave-it" comments credited to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the onset of the strike. The Minister did not seem tohave been involved in either meeting, perhaps as the government’s way of soothing the feelings of the university teachers.Other points of agreement at the meetings include the following:*.Project Prioritization: Universities will now be allowed to determine their priorities and not be “rail-roaded” into implementing a pre-determined set of projects with respect to the NEEDS assessment. Decisions are not to be centralized.*.TETFund Intervention: Government assured that the operations of the TETFund will notbe impaired, and that the regular TETFund intervention disbursement to Universities will continue, unaffected. So the NEEDS assessment capital outlaysare in addition to regular TETFundintervention.*.Project Monitoring: A new Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) for the NEEDS Assessment intervention for universities has been set up to take over from the Suswan Committee. The new one is under the Federal Ministry of Education and chaired by the Honorable Minister of Education. In addition,to build confidence and ensure faithful implementation and prevent any relapse as before, theVice President will meet quarterly with the IMC to monitor progress.*.Blueprint: ASUU was mandated tosubmit a blue print for revitalizingthe Universities to the Vice President.Prof. Aluko further stated that a signed document will soon be issued to itemize the full issues on which the consensus he had outlined here, as brokered by AVCNU, was reached.