The Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) on Monday lamented that the recent conduct of examinations by some federal universities while members of three non academic staff unions were on strike has further exposed the Nigerian university system to ridicule.
Comrade Oladeinde Olufemi, NASU chairman of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (I.A.R&T) of the Obafemi Awolowo University (O.A.U), Ile-Ife stated this during a protest organised by striking members of the three non academic staff unions of the research institute.
Members of NASU, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) had on December 4, 2017 embarked on indefinite strike over the perceived injustice in the sharing formula of the Earned Allowance.
Oladeinde accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government of encouraging injustice in Nigeria’s educational system by allowing members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to have N18 billion out of the N23 billion Earned Allowance.
Comrade Shadrack Oluranti, Chairman of SSANU and Comrade Wale Olopade, Chairman of NAAT, who also spoke during the protest condemned the federal government for its roles in the industrial crisis rocking the nation’s university system.
Oladeinde lamented that it was unfortunate that examinations were conducted in some of the federal universities without students having practicals, describing such act of a major setback to the country’s university education.
The NASU boss lamented further that what “members of ASUU are doing by conducting examination without the involvement of non academic staff, is that they are telling us that they can run the Nigerian university system alone.”
He, however, revealed that the national leadership of the Joint Action Council (JAC) of the three striking unions has directed that non academic staff in account departments of various federal universities and research institutes should henceforth stop participating in preparation of salaries until the industrial crisis is resolved.
Oladeinde insisted that “if the Academic staff are sure that they can run the university system alone, let them prepare and pay their own monthly salaries”, adding that the strike would not be called off until the injustice is corrected.
Packaged by Olugbenga Abegunrin
