The Federal Government and labour unions on Wednesday clashed over the groups’ refusal to back down on its planned two-day nationwide protests scheduled for July 26 and 27.
No fewer than 40 unions, including the aviation workers will participate in the rally called in solidarity with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities which has shut down public universities since February 14 over the failure of the government to meet its demands.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday said the protest was illegal since the Nigeria Labour Congress had no pending disputes with the government but the congress retorted that it would go on with the protest, saying the freedom to protest is guaranteed by the constitution.
ASUU had embarked on a one-month warning strike on February 14 to press home its demand for the implementation of the October 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement.
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions and National Association of Academic Technologists later joined the industrial action.
In May, the ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, announced the extension of the three-month prolonged strike by an additional three months.
In reaction, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said in March that the government had paid over N92bn , including N40bn for earned academic allowances for ASUU and other unions and N30b for university revitalisation as part of the implementation of the agreement reached with the union in December 2020.
The FG also reconstituted a team to renegotiate the 2009 agreement it had with the varsity teachers. The team was headed by Pro-Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, Prof Nimi Briggs.
To fast-track the resolution of the crisis, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), Tuesday, directed the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, to resolve the five-month strike within two weeks and report back to him.
In solidarity with ASUU, the NLC on July 17 announced that it would kick off a nationwide protest to pressure the federal government to resolve the crisis in the tertiary education sector.
But addressing State House correspondents after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by the President, the information minister, Mohammed, accused the congress of being motivated by partisan interests, saying it was supposed to be “completely insulated from politics.”
He said, “The NLC is not a political party. The NLC can go on strike or protest if the rights of the NLC members are involved. What the NLC is planning in the next few days is about interest. There’s no dispute whatsoever between NLC as a body with the Federal Government.
“Well yes, there’s a dispute between some members of the NLC, ASUU and the federal government, which is being looked into. And NLC itself is a party to the committee that is looking into the solution.
“So, calling out people on street protest; you begin to wonder, what is the motive of the NLC in this matter? But you see here, we do not interrogate what the NLC is doing. The NLC by its own laws cannot even give out pamphlets. And the NLC is supposed to be completely insulated from politics.”
While acknowledging the ultimatum handed down to the education minister, the NLC spokesman argued that nothing had happened to change the proposed rally.
He further added, ‘’If the government wants to end this matter today, I assure you that they will be able to fix it in three hours. Remember when the airline operators planned to go on strike and within hours there was an intervention; remember?
“The summary of what I want to tell you is that nothing has happened for us to change our proposed action. All I know is that we’re going on with our action.’’
Responding to allegation that the protest was illegal, Upah averred that the minister should be worried by the damage caused to the education system by the protracted strike.
He noted, “Freedom of expression, freedom of protest are within the ambit of the law and guaranteed by the constitution; so, he (minister) does not have the power to abolish it.
“ASUU is part of the unions that make up the NLC and we all know that for the past six months or so ASUU had had issues with the government; an issue that government has not resolved.’’
Insisting that the union was not partisan, Upah stated, ‘’No political sentiment, we are guided purely by national interest. It should be of conscience to the minister of information that for the past six months our children and wards have been out of school and the collateral damage of that is simply inestimable; it is mind-boggling.”
The Secretary General of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, Abdulrasaq Saidu, in a telephone interview with The Punch, said that the the union’s solidarity strike would still hold.
He said, “We are bound to carry out the NLC decision because we are part of it, we are an affiliate of NLC. It was the national executive council of the NLC that called for that strike and it must hold. If it’s not going to hold it is only the national executive council that will stop it.
“Whatever Buhari said is only an afterthought because they were there since ASUU went on strike- the minister of education and labour too. All affiliates of NLC will embark on the planned strike. We are complying and carrying out the instruction of the NLC.”
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent, the ASUU president, Osodeke, explained that every Nigerian citizen had the right to protest, adding that NLC was not planning a solidarity protest but because ASUU was an affiliate of NLC.
Osodeke said, ‘‘Every Nigerian citizen has the right to protest especially on this issue that has to do with our children and future generation. Nigerians have been too peaceful; with the way Nigeria is today, Nigerians are supposed to be on the street protesting every day. The NLC will stage the protest, let the police arrest them.’’
Also, the national president, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, referred the government to the relevant sections of the labour laws.
‘‘Lai Mohammed missed the point because all university unions are an affiliate of NLC. NLC has mobilised all unions and it is not only the university, about 40 affiliates have set out to join the protest. He cannot singlehandedly say it is illegal. It is only an industrial court that can say it is illegal,’’ said Mohammed.
The National Association of Academic Technologists, President, Mr Ibeji Nwokema, said, ‘‘We are an affiliate of the NLC, If we have negotiations with the government we can invite the NLC to come and be part of it. If there are issues, NLC will intervene; saying it is illegal it’s not true.’’
The President, Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance & Financial Institutions, Mrs Oyinkan Olasanoye, said, “Both the NLC and TUC have called that they are going on protest. Definitely, every Nigerian that believes that the future of this country depends on education will definitely join the protest.”
