Dr. Happiness Uduk, the Zonal Coordinator of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the Calabar zone, has voiced her disappointment over the actions of government officials, accusing them of undermining public universities in Nigeria while using taxpayers’ money to fund their private institutions.
During a protest rally organized by the University of Uyo branch of ASUU, Uduk, a senior lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Uyo, warned that the union would commence another industrial action within two weeks if the Federal Government failed to honor its 2009 renegotiated agreement with the union.
Uduk criticized government officials for the deterioration of public primary and secondary schools, claiming they are now intent on destroying public universities as well.
“Enough is enough! The government is neglecting public institutions while establishing private universities funded by our resources and taxpayers’ money,” she declared.
“What the federal government wants is to destroy public universities as they did to public primary and secondary schools.
“The Federal Government has about two weeks to do something, and if not, ASUU will down tools. That is what we want to tell people: It is not well with us. The government has not treated us well, and to say the least, we are very hungry. Whatever we are getting is not taking us home.
“We are requesting the government to pay us what they owe us, we are calling on the government to make the university system functional. We are asking the government to pay us our EAA, they should cater for universities they brought and not bring up more universities without taking care of them,” she said.
Addressing the protesters who held placards and chanted solidarity songs, ASUU Chairperson Prof. Opeyemi Olajide recalled that in 2022, public universities went on an eight-month strike over similar issues. They resumed classes in compliance with the rule of law, but regrettably, two years later, the Federal Government has yet to honour the agreement and address their demands.
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Prof. Olajide explained that the union had reached out to relevant authorities to intervene and prompt the government to act, in order to prevent any disruption to academic activities. However, there has been no positive response.
He emphasized that if no action is taken within two weeks, the union will shut down the universities and send the students home.
He said, “In 2022, ASUU was on strike for eight months. Public universities in Nigeria were shut down, and students were sent home because the federal government of Nigeria refused to address ASUU demands as contained in the renegotiated 2009 agreement that Academic Staff Unions of Nigerian Universities had with them.
“ASUU suspended the strike because our union is very civil, law-abiding, and respects the rule of law. This is two years after the Federal Government has refused to sign that agreement with our union.
“We are telling the government and the public that if in the next two weeks, nothing is done, ASUU is going to embark on yet another strike and students will be sent home.”
Former ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Aniekan Brown, emphasized the union’s longstanding advocacy for “education for all.”
He highlighted the disparity between lecturers’ heavy workloads and their insufficient pay, calling for a salary increase.
Prof. Brown also expressed concern over the burdensome taxation rates imposed by the Federal Government, noting that lecturers often pay up to 90 percent of their salaries in taxes, despite their meager and stagnant wages.
In his words, “It’s quite sad that some lecturers have up to 48 credit loads per week, they teach on Saturdays, and yet their take-home pay will not take them home. I want to say that one can’t work on an empty stomach.
“The last time something was added to our salaries was in 2009, and as a Christian, only one Being is the same yesterday, today, and forever, which is Almighty God, but the Federal Government is compelling our salaries to compete with God, and as a Christian, I stand against that.
“The union is ready to ensure that the public university system gets back running, it’s left for the government to do the needful. Students attend lectures in a room that was meant for fifty persons being occupied by 200 to 250 students with no public address system.
“The lecturers will scream their hearts out to impact knowledge, yet politicians’ children are going to school abroad; you see them contributing money to already developed universities abroad, and they will turn blind eyes here; we will rise as one people to compel them to start taking their responsibilities.
“Let me also note that our taxes are excruciating, a lecturer who is meant to receive Two Hundred Thousand Naira as salary will end up going home with N110,000 as N90,000 will go in as tax.
“You’ll see lecturers jumping from one bus to another, living uncomfortable lives, how can we impact knowledge successfully in this scenario? These people giving us this kind of tax evade tax, they subjected us to IPPIS and they are not in IPPIS.”
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