The Students’ Union of Nigeria’s Premier University of Education, Tai Solarin University of Education Students’ Union wishes to assert and state in clear terms her positions and grievance on the proposed ASUU strike by the national leadership of the staff union.
As the world believes and understands, education remain the most potent weapon for social, economic and political engineering of any nation, Nigeria inclusive. In it resides the faith and future for prosperity and peace. The students world is very unsafe, seems helpless and scared of the state in which the constituency is being treated and attended to by various visitors to our tertiary institutions and the staff unions, most importantly, the visitors (government at all levels).
For the past few weeks, the national secretariat of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been calling the attention of the government, by implication drawing the attention of members of the general public of the inability of the government to fulfill various clauses and agreements the two parties resolved to.
The Tai Solarin University of Education Students’ Union as a responsible and very concerned stakeholder in the affairs of education, protecting the interest of her members and education as a whole, observes this development and express total dissatisfaction in the way the government has attended to the staff union. Again, it worries us why the rights, welfare and incentive packages of the staffs will be denied or delayed by the government.
We are very aware of the disagreement and conflicting positions of ASUU and Federal Government of Nigeria on the implementation of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), an established payment system by the FG for all her workers and the alternative system of University Transparency and Accountability Solution proposed by ASUU.
It is well entrenched that the Federal Government and ASUU had reasonable understanding and signed agreement on the payment system, issues of N22bn earned allowance and other agreements.
We call on the Federal Government and her representatives, particularly, the Ministries of Labour and Employment, Education and Finance to rejig their positions and ensure the right thing is done for ASUU. They should do this with sincerity and passionate consideration for the students and the future of the country that is held at the tips of education.
It should be keenly noted that the future of Nigerian students is on the brink if the proposed industrial action is made to take effect (possibly) tomorrow, August 31, 2021 that the staff union intends to meet, or any day (which is likely soon).
The nine months of wastage as a result of last strike action embarked on by ASUU has done enough damage on the education system, our studentship life and future. As at December 24, 2020 when the strike action was suspended, a lot has went wrong and the system (till moment) still tries to recover from various losses and academic setbacks.
Nonetheless, TASUEDSU believes that the lingering strike action can be averted if the Federal Government respond to the call of the staff union. We also urge the government to ensure it revisit many of her positions and reestablish them in the spirit of developing the education system.
We call on the national, regional, states and chapter leadership and secretariats of ASUU to ensure it continues to be considerate, concerned and passionate when taking her decisions and positions. We understand they have the right to make demands and pursue all legal and moral path for their demands to be respected. At the same time, we urge them to be very considerate as the students lives and future in on the line when industrial actions are activated. ASUU at all levels have the support and solidarity of the student leaderships, unions and bodies, especially over twenty five thousand TASUEDSU members. We shall continue to show solidarity accordingly and partner with ASUU to drive home her demands.
As various Students’ Union in Nigeria is capable of mobilising her strengths and efficacy to ensure what ASUU demands is respected and considered for approval, so far the students are also well captured in the demands.
TASUEDSU call on all other students’ unions in Nigeria, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and National Association of University Students (NAUS) to stand up and rethink efforts to rescue millions of Nigerians from the looming national disaster.
The Tai Solarin University of Education Students’ Union shall remain civil in pursuit of our demands and registering our differences for national attention.
May God bless our Union, and our collective indomitable will!
Comr RABIU Sodiq
Reliable Surz
President
Tai Solarin University of Education Students’ Union
