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The academic branch of the University staff (Asuu), of the Tai Solarin University of Education (Tasted), issued a severe warning to the administration of President Bola Tinubu to fully implement the examined agreement of 2009 or face what described as the “mother of all strikes”.
The president of the Tasted branch of Asuu, Dr. Wale Oosiye, gave the warning Wednesday during a press briefing that was held shortly after the Union organized a peaceful protest at the main gate of the university in Ijagun, ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.
Opidoye, who led the members and managers of the Union during the protest, said that the action had to increase awareness and remind the federal government its long -standing obligation towards the Union, underlining that Asuu would not hesitate to resume the strike at national level if the promises continued not to be kept.
He complained that 16 years after the signature of the 2009 agreement, the government had continued to renounce his commitments, including the periodic review of the teachers’ salaries every three years.
“People are still receiving salaries in 2009. They arrived with a wage increase of 25-35 percent that is not even commensurate with today’s economic reality,” said Oidoye.
He also criticized the economic policies of Tinubu, in particular the removal of the subsidy for the fuel and the float of the Naira, who according to him had worsened the living conditions for university workers and Nigerian normal.
According to him, the government’s approach to offer premiums and wage loans instead of creating agreements is unacceptable.
“We are not beggars. There is a principle called collective bargaining. Even if they promise a salary increase of 300 %, Asuu will not accept until we deal with what we want. What we want is the review and implementation of the 2009 agreement,” he insisted.
Opidoye also rejected the proposal of the federal government of loans without interests for teachers, describing it as an insult.
“Who is asking you for a loan? What we want is to improve the salary, the academic indemnity (EAA) and the revitalization of infrastructures in our universities. The trade union leaders cannot be guaranteed for loans. We reject it in the totality,” he said.
The Asuu leader accused the subsequent governments of frustrating authentic attempts to resolve persistent issues, blaming the former Minister of Labor and Productivity, dr. Chris Ngige, for presumably truncated the report of the negotiation committee led by Yayale Ahmed.
He observed that the last tranche of N50 billion released for EAA ended in 2023 and no effort was made to support him, despite Asuu is the creator of reforms like Tetfund aimed at revitalizing universities.
Opidoye urged the Nigerians not to blame Asuu for any imminent strike, but rather believes the federal government responsible for neglecting the agreements that could have stabilized the education sector.
“They boast of having put in cage Asuu in the last two years. But they let the Nigerians know that chaos in our universities is not caused by Asuu, but by the directionalness of the government,” he said.
The president of the Tasted branch claimed that, unless the federal government shows a real commitment in the implementation of the agreement, the union will have no choice but to undertake the “mother of all strikes”.
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