By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, has called on Nigerians to intervene in the lingering issues it has with the Federal Government and proffer solutions to them.
The Union also called on the public to change its perception that ASUU members are troublemakers.
The Chairperson, ASUU, ATBU Bauchi Branch, Comrade Ibrahim Inuwa, disclosed this in an interview with journalists during a Town Hall Meeting with stakeholders which held on Tuesday at the 1,000 seat capacity Hall of the Yelwa Campus.
According to him, the engagement with the stakeholders made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, Student Union Government and other Student Unions on Campus, religious and traditional leaders, among others, was a directive from its National Secretariat aimed at informing the Union’s issues with the Federal Government.
He said that it is also an avenue to get feedbacks from the public and advice on how they (ASUU) should go about its struggles.
“The Town Hall Meeting was to call the attention of education stakeholders in Nigeria on what has been happening between the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government.
“It is an avenue to get feedbacks from these stakeholders and advice on how to go about our struggles. This is done by reemphasizing to stakeholders that education is the business of everybody not only the Union as it is being perceived that ASUU are troublemakers.
“We want the public to proffer solutions because all the solutions that are within our kitten, I think we’ve gotten to the point that we are exhausting them. Most of the times when we go for industrial actions, people are quick to say that we should explore other avenues of negotiations. For more than one year now, we’ve been trying to do that with this new regime,” he said.
Additionally, Inuwa said that the meeting was also an avenue for the Union to rub minds with these stakeholders and to “drive the misconceptions most stakeholders have about ASUU that ‘ASUU are troublemakers who do not want peace.'”
He called on the stakeholders to understand that education is the business of everybody and adding that such has been reflected in the spirit of ASUU’s constitution; that it is a right and the obligation of the government to provide education in the country.
“It is a right because the constitution of this country defines our sovereignty and that is where the politicians derive their powers to rule us, so we have to hold them accountable, not only ASUU, but everyone and if we have to get it right in this country, education must be given priority.
“We took them through our various struggles, the challenges we’ve been having, the nonchalant attitude of the government as well as other emerging issues that are coming up. This is also another diplomatic avenue of calling on the government and to call on these stakeholders to draw the attention of the government to ensure that there is harmony in our universities.
“The Town Hall Meeting is an avenue to harvest ideas. We have our national body, our National Executive Council, we will harvest these ideas and present them when next we are having our National Executive Council so that they will guide the Union on the way forward,” he said.
Inuwa who said that before the President Bola Tinubu led administration came on board, “they met the Union and showed concern that they want to address these issues, unfortunately, this is over one year now, there is no any meaningful commitment from the government to address these issues,” pointed out that these are making the issues in the university system to be heightened day by day looking at the current economic realities in the country.
Asked if ASUU is mobilizing for another industrial action, he said: “We’re are sensitizing people. We will still meet and evaluate the situation and then we’ll come up with a position.”
