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–Pix(above, L-R): PMB and Ngige
The Federal Government of President Muhammadu Buhari has perfected moves to deregister the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by recognizing the union’s splinter group, Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA).
CONUA, a separate body of academic unions with presence in a few federal universities, is led by its National Coordinator, ‘Niyi Sunmonu, a lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife.
This was revealed in an invitation sent to reporters on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, by the Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Oshundun Olajide.
The invitation stated that Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, will do the presentation at the Hon. Minister’s Conference Room, Federal Secretariat, Phase 1, Abuja, by 2 pm.
The message by the Ministry of Labour reads, “The Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, cordially invites you to the recognition and presentation of Certificate of Registration to the Congress of Nigerian University Academics.”
The State Online reports that ASUU has been on strike since February 14, 2022, and on September 1, 2022, made it an indefinite action following the failure of the government to address the issue.
Some of the things being agitated for include; the release of revitalisation funds for universities, renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, release of earned allowances for university lecturers, and deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
Recall that the first visible sign of this development (ASUU’s proscription) began on Thursday, September 22, 2022, when members of the Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA), had visited Ngige to express their solidarity with the Federal Government on the ASUU-FG face off.
The Federal Government of President Muhammadu Buhari, through Dr Chris Ngige, had accused ASUU of an alleged failure of the union to submit its audited reports in the last five years as required by law.
Ngige, then told his guests that the Registrar of Trade Unions had written a query to the union (ASUU) on why its certificate of registration should not be withdrawn for running foul of the law.
Ngige said: “ASUU has not responded to the relevant section of Trade Union Creation for submission of audited accounts. How do they utilise their money? We don’t know. The money they collect as check-off dues, should be accounted for. The Trade Union Act says that in June of any given year, unions should produce audited account at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
“The Registrar of Trade Unions has written them to show cause why we should not withdraw their certificate of registration. They have not responded to the letter. Rather, I learned that they came last Friday, with bundles of papers and said they are their audited account.
“Of course, he (the registrar) rightly told them that he didn’t ask for their audited accounts anymore, stressing that he needed them to respond to his query on why disciplinary action should not be taken against them,” he stressed./SHARE THIS