Re – Gbajabiamila lists reasons FG won’t pay ASUU fully.

Jurbe Joseph Molwus, PhD writes from the University of Jos.

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I came across a publication on the above subject in the Punch yesterday 8th November, 2022. The Speaker (Gbajabiamila) was quoted in the article to have said among other things that
“The Executive position that it is not obligated to pay salaries to lecturers for the time spent on strike is premised on the law and the government’s legitimate interest in preventing moral hazard and discouraging disruptive industrial actions”. One wonders if it is the same Gbajabiamila who three weeks ago informed Nigerians that President Buhari had cancelled the “no work no pay” decision of government and promised that the backlog of withheld salaries will be paid to the Lecturers in a number of installments that is talking. One also wonders if it is the same Gbajabiamila who said there was no need to sign any agreement on the promises he made unbehalf of government after his meeting with President Buhari because it was all about trust. If he is really the one talking in the publication under reference, then his commitment to and meaning of trust leave much to be desired.
One wonders further, is it the sam government that entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2017 and a memorandum of action (MOA) in 2020 to address ASUU’s demands and FAILED to fulfill its part of the memoranda that is talking about preventing moral hazard? If government had fulfilled the promises it made in the memoranda it freely signed, ASUU would not have gone on strike. Hence, no one who have been following the issues in good conscience and mental stability would think that ASUU just got up one day and declared strike. Because only then, the “no work no pay” rule becomes applicable. For instance, it is important to remind Nigerians that part of the reasons why ASUU went on strike was government’s failure to pay university Lecturers their about 8 years arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) which work they had done. Does the same government that has failed to pay the Lecturers their EAA for work already done for 8 years possesses the moral rectitude to talk about “no work no pay”? Are the arrears going to be paid with interest and when? May be we should be talking about preventing moral hazard in governance instead.
Gbajabiamila’s (the house of Representatives’) proposal for partial payment of the Lecturers’ withheld salaries is therefore, unthinkable and unacceptable. How will that discourage disruptive industrial actions? Also, how will that facilitate the completion of the disrupted academic session. Let it be stated for the avoidance of doubt that it is the failure of government over the years that has disrupted academic sessions. Furthermore, It is government’s insistence on withholding the salaries of Lecturers that will further disrupt academic sessions. Therefore, Gbajabiamila should shelve the idea of partial payment and advice government to use the withheld salaries to complete the academic session that was interrupted by the strike then a new session can be started.
It suffices to say that, from all manifestations, the intervention of the leadership of the House of Representatives towards resolving the lingering FGN-ASUU fewd, was not genuine but political. The same promise to appropriate funds towards addressing ASUU’s demands was made in the 2020 MOA, but here we are at the same spot in 2022 with the same players making the same promise. In fact, Gbajabiamila said in 2020 that he was not going to sign any budget if it does not provide for the demands of ASUU to be met. Do members of the House of Representatives expect ASUU and Nigerians to trust them? Well, only time will tell.
Talking about education summit, can the masses afford to attend or even make submissions given the current economic hardships being experienced all over the country? My Proposal is that members of the National Assembly should go to their constituents at the grassroots. If members of the National Assembly (both Senate and House of Representatives) who should speak for Nigerians, genuinely desire to address the issues bedevilling our Universities, they should hold town hall meetings in all their constituencies on the FGN-ASUU debacle and collate their views for action.
Finally, with the way things are going, well meaning and discerning Nigerians should know what to do to discourage “moral hazard” come 2023.
Jurbe Joseph Molwus, PhD writes from the University of Jos.

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Re – Gbajabiamila lists reasons FG won’t pay ASUU fully.