ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES (ASUU), YOLA ZONE

TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE YOLA ZONE OF ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF

UNIVERSITIES ASUU AT THE NUJ PRESS CENTRE YOLA ON MONDAY 7 TH SEPTEMBER
2020

WE WANT GOVERNMENT TO HONOUR AGREEMENTS & ADOPT UTAS

Protocols

Gentlemen of the Press,

Preamble

The Yola Zone of ASUU comprises Adamawa State University (ADSU), Mubi, Modibbo
Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), Yola, Taraba State University (TSU),
Jalingo, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), and Yobe State University (YSU),
Damaturu.

The Zone met at Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), Yola on Sunday
6th September, 2020 and resolved to grant this press conference to bring to light the
facts of current industrial dispute is occasioned by the Non-implementation of the FGN /
ASUU MoA of 7th February, 2019.

Recall that, via various negotiations and memoranda, FGN and ASUU signed several
agreements on issues of funding for revitalization of public universities, payment of
outstanding arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), constitution of visitation
panels to Federal universities, proliferation of state universities and issues of
governance in the state universities as well as conclusion of renegotiation of the 2009
FGN—ASUU Agreement.

Gentlemen of the Press, it is sad to tell you that government’s inaction and of course
actions that ignited the events that led to the current industrial dispute. This allusion
stems from the fact that government ignored the outstanding issues in the FGN-ASUU
Memorandum of Action (MOA) of 7 th February, 2019 and refused to take action on
several letters written by the union, again government abandoned the path of dialogue
chattered with the Union on Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System
(IPPIS) since 2013 and forcefully enrolled our members into IPPIS.

The coercion of our members in to IPPIS with no recourse to the peculiarities of the
Nigerian University System, University Autonomy as well as attrition of the previous
agreements between FGN and ASUU culminated into the present crisis.
The imposition of IPPIS on us, has resulted in mutilation or outright non-payment of our
members’ salary since February 2020, with our members in university of Maiduguri and
Michael Okpera University of Agriculture Umodike being the worst hit branches. The
matters arising from the payment of salaries via IPPIS which left many of our members
without salaries, some others with fractions of their salaries and others overpaid had
vindicated ASUU’s position of total rejection of the platform and the Union has
developed a robust alternative christened the University Transparency and
Accountability Solution (UTAS).

Recall that, in the meeting of ASUU and FGN on Thursday 12 th March 2020: the FGN
accepted in principle, to adopt the UTAS for the administration of the FGN universities’
staff monthly payroll and accounting processes if adjudged better than the IPPIS.

Gentlemen of the Press, it is heart-warming to inform you that our software is ready and
its efficacy has been demonstrated to the Honourable Minister of Education with the
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education; Executive Secretary, National
Universities Commission and other senior management staff of the ministry in
attendance. We have also received information that UTAS would soon be presented to
the Minister of Finance and Accountant General of the Federation. We are to also inform
you that our Union is ready to present UTAS to the appropriate authorities for further
validation.

The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has clearly brought to fore the
challenges bedevilling the health and education sectors in our country. Many years of
neglect of these two critical sectors resulted in lack of well-equipped testing and
diagnostic as well as treatment and research laboratories in our health and educational
institutions. It is therefore not surprising that most COVID-19 tests and treatment
were conducted using private laboratories and hospitals. If government has faithfully
implemented the 2012 Needs Assessment report which identified the intensity of the
rot in the Nigerian public universities, by now the universities would have been more
involved in COVID-19 testing and developing solutions through cutting edge research in
well-equipped laboratories as is the situation in many countries of the world. In additions,
our universities would have smoothly transited from conventional to virtual teaching
mode during the pandemic period as we have seen happening in countries that have long
overcomed their infrastructural deficits.

In Nigeria public universities as at today, facilities for strict adherence to the provisions
of COVID19 protocol are grossly inadequate as hostel accommodations, lecture theatre
and classes available when compared to the students’ population could only make a
mockery of the social distancing requirement. It is also common knowledge that water
and electricity are unavailable as required on many of our campuses. Therefore, concrete
steps more than lip services have to be taken by the government and the university
authorities to address these concerns in the interest of all, as to be forewarned is to be
forearmed.

TARABA STATE GOVERNMENT

 The Union is calling on Taraba State Government to honour and implement the
Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed on 31 st May 2019 with TSU branch of ASUU. The
Union urges the state government as a matter of urgency to Fund the University in line
with Taraba State Law No 4 of 2008 with clear prescription of funding sources. Since
the establishment of the University, staff are serving without any retirement any
retirement plan for them or pension benefits even though contributory Pension Reform
Law was domesticated in the state in 2009.

On State of the nation, we wish to express our dismay on happenings in the country. It is
come knowledge that COVID 19 has wreaked havoc on socio-economic activities of nations
globally. Consequently, most nations have responded by providing palliatives and succour to
citizens to reduce the hardship induced by the pandemic. However, reverse is the
response in our country as citizens are meted with high tax burden, increased electricity
tariff and pump price of petroleum products among others. It is our candid opinion that
the citizens deserve a better deal in the face of the global pandemic than we are getting
as the primary responsibility of government is to secure and lessen the burden of its
citizens.
Conclusion
ASUU Yola Zone wishes to call on students, parents and all well-meaning Nigerians to
understand that, the current action is meant to salvage the Nigerian university system. To
save our universities from the current fate of the Nigerian public primary and secondary
schools; BUT for the struggles of our Union there goes our public universities too.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Aluta Continua! Victoria Acerta!!

Comrade. Augustine A. Ndaghu,

Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Yola Zone
Monday 7th September, 2020