By Jude Michael
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Owerri Zone, has raised the alarm over the sack, salary suspension, harassment and other forms of maltreatment of its members in certain universities in the country.
The body regretted that such injustices were meted to its members following their stand against what it said were abnormalities rocking the institutions.
Addressing newsmen on Monday in Awka, the Zonal Coordinator, Denis Aribodor, listed the affected institutions to include the Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri; Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam; Kogi State University (KSU), Ayingba; Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki; Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma; and others.
He called on visitors and stakeholders to the affected universities to urgently wade into the situations and reverse the said injustices orchestrated by the concerned Vice Chancellors to its members.
He further expressed disappointment over what he described as the yet-to-be completed renegotiated FGN-ASUU 2009 agreement 15 years after it was signed.
He said, ‘In this country, once you stand on what is right, due process and justice, you’re marked for destruction. That’s just our problem with these universities.
‘An example is the appointment of a serving Minister as a professor without being a staff (member) which we described as an aberration.
‘As a result, our members have been harassed, including being barred from attending statutory meetings illegally. The next alternative is to go violent which we don’t believe in.
‘In COOU, our member was beaten up and suspended without pay for fighting illegalities, including exam malpractices.
‘But we’ll continue to challenge abnormalities as academics because that’s our calling: speaking, teaching and preserving the truth; no matter whose ox is gored,’ Aribodo said.
He said the press conference was to alert the public of the Federal and State Governments’ continued and consistent ploys to undermine the existence and integrity of the nation’s public universities through their systemic neglect, acute under-funding and bastardization of university autonomy, leading to the inability of Nigerian universities to compete globally.
‘The FGN-ASUU Agreement signed in October, 2009 summed up the four key issues as follows: Conditions of service, Funding, University Autonomy and Academic Freedom and other matters related to regulations, working environment, etc.
‘This agreement was meant to arrest brain drain, attract the best brains to the Nigerian University system from across the world and to position Nigeria’s public universities for global competitiveness.
‘It is worrisome to note that this agreement that was designed to be renegotiated after three years (2012) did not start until 6th March, 2017, and is yet to be completed till date (fifteen years after the agreement was signed).
‘It is on this note that ASUU Owerri Zone is crying out through this press conference against governments’ concerted efforts to annihilate public universities in Nigeria in favour of the commercialization of university education, via private universities owned by politically exposed individuals.
‘We’re going to reconvene soonest as a national body to appraise the situation and take a decision, Aribodo added.
Other ASUU bosses in attendance were those of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, COOU, Igbariam; Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO; Imo State University Owerri (IMSU); Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU); and Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka (NAU).
