ASUU

NUC IS POWERLESS, THEY CAN’T SHUT SCHOOLS FOR ELECTIONS, SAYS ASUU

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2023

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU has on Tuesday, 31st of January, 2023 disclose that, the union is not under the control of the National Universities Commission, NUC and other tertiary institutions regulatory bodies to temporary shut down all Nigeria tertiary institutions for tertiary institutions Students to participate in the February 25th General election.

Recall that, Eniola Educational Consultant report earlier last week that a member of House of Representatives raised motion to that National Universities Commission, The National Body for Technical Education (NBTE), The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and The Federal Ministry of Education to temporary shutdown Nigeria tertiary institutions to allow Students to vote during the forthcoming general elections.

He said, the management of Nigeria Tertiary institutions, do not put into consideration the timelines and period of the general election when designing their Academic Calenders and most schools put their Assessment test within this period.

While reacting to the motion raised by the House Representatives, on Tuesday a member of the National Executive Council of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU in an interview, Prof. Gbolahan Bolarin at Federal University of Technology, Minna.

When answering to messages, calls from parents, Students, individuals and groups on the raising matter said, NUC is just a regulatory body. They didn’t have the numerous power to shut down Nigeria University. The only authority that has the enormous power apart from the Senate/Governing Council of each Institutions is the Federal Ministry of Education.

He advise the House of Representatives to talk with the President, Muhammed Buhari as regards this matter, the ministry of Education will get be the directive and what NUC will do is to comply with the other and pass it down to all Nigeria Universities. National Universities Commission, NUC can’t do anything.

Recall, Eniola Educational Consultant report that, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu says the commission doesn’t have the power to direct Nigeria Institutions to declare holiday or temporary shutdown their Institutions so as to enable the students to vote during the general elections exercise.

The spokesperson to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Royimi Oyekanmi made this available during an interview with The Punch on Friday.

It’s beyond our office and out of boundary to compel Nigeria tertiary institutions to declare public holiday to enable Nigerian Students to collect their Permanent Voter’s Card, PVCs and to enable them to vote during the election, INEC reply.

ASUU

NLC, TUC, ASUU, Others Defy Court Order As They Begin Strike

Published

1 year ago

November 14, 2023

Pamilerin Fedpolygist

The NLC had on Monday announced the commencement of the industrial action from midnight of Monday, 13 November, in defiance to a restraining order issued by the National Industrial Court in Abuja on Friday.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and its affiliates including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Tuesday, began a nationwide strike, in defiance to a restraining court order barring them from embarking on the industrial action.

The two major labour unions, NLC and TUC, had declared the strike, following the brutalisation of the NLC president, Joe Ajaero, in Imo State on 1 November. Mr Ajaero was attacked in Owerri, the state capital, during an NLC protest against the Imo State government over alleged maltreatment of workers in the state.

The unions on Monday directed their members to down tools across the country as from Tuesday.

This is despite the restraining order issued by the National Industrial Court, in Abuja, on Friday, stopping the labour unions from embarking on the strike. The judge, Benedict Kanyip, ordered the two major labour unions to stop their industrial action scheduled to commence 14 November.

The interim order followed an ex-parte request by the Nigerian government through the office of Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, due to the Labour unions’ threat to embark on strike.

Ignoring the court order, ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, a professor of soil science, on Monday, directed compliance with the strike declaration in a letter to ASUU zonal coordinators and branch chairpersons across the country.

“As an affiliate of NLC, all members of our union are hereby directed to join this action of NLC to protect the interest of Nigerian workers and the leadership of the union. Zonal coordinators and branch chairpersons should immediately mobilise our members to participate in the action,” ASUU President, Mr Osodeke, wrote in a letter to zonal and branch chairpersons of the union.

When PREMIUM TIMES asked Mr Osodeke if he was aware of the subsisting court order stopping the strike, he said the question should be directed to the NLC which called for the strike.

“Call the NLC, ASUU did not declare a strike, NLC declared the strike. Call NLC,” he said in a telephone interview on Tuesday morning.

But the NLC’s head of information, Benson Upah, did not respond to phone calls and messages sent to his line requesting for comments, as of the time of filing this report.

The labour unions had, on Monday, refused to acknowledge the court order while directing their members to withdraw their services as from Tuesday.

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