Education

Court summons FG, ASUU

Published

9 months ago

September 12, 2022

•FG and ASUU logo

The National Industrial Court (NIC), has summoned the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to appear before it tomorrow, Monday, in Abuja, over the protracted strike by members of ASUU that has shut the nation’s university system since February.

The summons followed the referral of the protracted dispute between the Federal Government and ASUU to the NIC by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige.

The Federal Government is, among others, praying the court to order ASUU to resume academic activities.

The court in a letter of summon dated September 9, sign the Chief Registrar, said among others, “Take note above mention case will not be listed for mention before the National Industrial Court sitting at N0 11, New -Bussa close , Area 3, Garki Abuja, on Monday 12th September 2022, at 9 am.”

Those summoned include the Minster of Education, Minster of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Minister, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the President of ASUU.

In a letter referring the dispute to NIC dated September 8, 2022, titled Forwarding of a Referral Instrument In The Trade Dispute Between Federal Government/Federal Ministry Of Education and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the Labour and Employment Minister, among others, noted that “The Referral Instrument is raised in line with powers vested on the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment by trade dispute resolution mechanisms and the provision of Section {7 of the Trade Dispute Act, CAP. 18, Laws of the Federation af Nigeria (LFN), 2004).

“In view of the fact that ASUU members have been on strike since February 14, 2022 and have refused to call off the action despite apprehension of same, it would be appreciated if this dispute is given an accelerated hearing in order to bring the dispute to an end.

“The addresses of the parties in dispute are as follows: President. Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), c/o ASUU Secretariat University of Abuja, Honourable Minister of Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Secretariat Phase Il, Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja, Honourable Minster of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja. iv. The Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja.

In an instrument of referral in line with the Trade Disputes Act CAP T8, Law of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2002, National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), among others, is to “Inquire into the legality or otherwise of the on-going prolonged strike by ASLU leadership and members which had continued even after apprehension by the Minister of Labour and Employment.

“Interpret in its entirety the provisions of Section 18, LFN 2004 especially as it applies to cessation of strike once a trade dispute is apprehended by the Minister of Labour and Employment and conciliation is on-going.

“Interpret the provisions of Section 43 of the Trade Disputes Act CAP T8. LFN 2004 titled “Special Provision with Respect to Payment of Wages During Strikes and Lockouts” specifically dealing with the rights of employers and employees/workers during the period of any strike or lock-out. Can ASUU or any union that embarked on strike be asking to be paid salaries even with the clear provision of the Law?

“Determine whether ASUU members are entitled to emolument or “strike pay” during their period of current strike which commenced on February 14, 2022. More so in view of our national law as provided in Section 48 of the Trade Disputes Act and the International Labour Principles on the Rights to Strike as well as the Decisions of the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association on the subject.

“Determine whether ASUU has the right to embark on strike over disputes as is the case in this instance by compelling the Federal Government to deploy University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) developed by ASUU in the payment af the wages it its members as against Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) universally used by the Federal Government in the nation for payment of wages of all her Employees (Workers) in the Federal Government Public Service of which university workers including ASUU members are part of, even where the Government via NITDA subjected the ASUU and their counterpart SSANU/NASU, UPPPS University Payment Platform System software to integrity test (Vulnerability and Stress Test) and they failed same.

“Determine the extent of fulfillment of ASUU’s demands by the Federal Government as follows since the 2020 Memorandum of Action with Federal Government : Funding for Revitalisation of Public Universities as per 2009 Agreement, Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) payments, State Universities Proliferation, Constitution of Visitation Panels/Release of White Paper on report of Visitation Panels, Reconstitution of Government Renegotiation Team for the renegotiation of 2009 Agreement which was renegotiated 2013/2014 and due for re-negotiation by 20/8/2019, and The migration of ASUU members from IPPIS to University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) developed by ASUU which is currently on test at Nigeria Technological Development Agency’ NITDA.

“Issue ORDER for ASUU members to resume work in their various Universities while the issues in dispute are being addressed by the NICN in consonance with the pravisions of Section 18 (1) (b) of the Trade Act. CAP 18. LFN 2004,” (Vanguard)

Education

Withheld salary arrears: Buhari transferring crisis in Nigerian varsities to incoming administration — NLC

Published

1 week ago

May 26, 2023

Advocate News Nigeria

Buhari

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said President Muhammadu Buhari will be transferring the crisis in the university system to the incoming administration by refusing to pay the withheld salaries of university unions.

The Congress directed the four university-based unions which included the; the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities; the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Education Institutions and the National Association of Academic Technologists to meet and revert to the NLC on the withheld salary backlogs.

President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero said this during a visit to the headquarters of SSANU on Wednesday in Abuja.

This is as the SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim appealed to President Buhari to pay the withheld salaries of its members before handing over on May 29.

The university unions went on strike last year which lasted between four to nine months.

In return, the Federal Government invoked the No work No pay policy for the duration the strike lasted.

Ajaero said: “The federal government is making a mistake by not paying those arrears of salaries. That is part of the crisis they (Buhari’s administration) are transferring to the incoming government and they must face it. There is no way you will say no work no pay when you are the cause of the No work. You can’t benefit from your inadequacy.

“If we accept that that will be the end of industrial relations and we should also be conscious of precedence in law; that precedence cannot stand.

“I want to plead with you that the unions in the education sector should meet and send us a memo in NLC. We are going to call national action for the payment of arrears of withheld salaries.

“We have waited enough for the Nigerian state to retrace its steps. It is bad enough to owe people for three to five months as a punitive measure for an agreement the government failed to obey and still boasting.

“If the unions could get across to us, all the sectors- electricity, oil and gas; we will start a solidarity action until the federal government takes responsibility for its inaction. This is not a threat because we are not known for issuing threats.

“The federal government must respect the sanctity of its agreement and we must insist on it. The unions should not waste time on this. We need to do it as soon as possible.

“We are on a course to return the NLC as a fighting organisation; to be proactive. If we allow eight months (of withheld salary arrears) to pass then that’s the end of this movement.

Ibrahim lamented the failure of the federal government to release the N100 billion for teaching and non-teaching staff of universities.

“Even the N100bn meant to pay for the salaries of all university staff – academic and non-academic. Till date, we have not seen anything. And this government is exiting soon.

“We went on strike for four months in 2022 and our salaries were stopped in the process. We followed due process, we sought the audience of the minister of Labour and Employment for the renegotiation of our agreement.

“Even if it is the last thing this government does before exiting office, let them release the salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff of universities. Because we have suffered and lost our members because they couldn’t access their money.

“Mr president we plead with you as a father not to leave behind the backlog of unpaid salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff.”

Education

Engr. Prince Arthur Eze, OFR, Appointed Pro-Chancellor of Newly Approved PEACELAND UNIVERSITY Enugu

Published

2 weeks ago

May 23, 2023

Advocate News Nigeria

Engr. Prince Arthur Eze

History was made when the Promoters and the Planning and Implementation Committee of Peaceland University, Enugu, appointed a world acclaimed philanthropist, great uncommon humanitarian and Liberator of the destitute, Engr. Prince Arthur Eze OFR (Ozoigbo Ndu), as the pioneer Pro-Chancellor of Peaceland University, Enugu. The appointment and ceremony took place at the Abuja residence of the Business Mogul.

The Peaceland University, Enugu is coming after the establishment of Peaceland College of Education and Peaceland College of Health Sciences and Technology, all in Enugu. The former which is the mother of the Peaceland project was founded and funded by a Swiss mother, lover of education, Frau Pia Meier Knuesel – Mama Pia – who stopped at nothing in donating all her life earnings, including the sale of her only private house in Switzerland; bequeathed all the proceeds to Fredypia Development and Education Foundation, Nigeria, which worked in collaboration with “Alfred und Pia Knuessel Stiftung”, Switzerland, for the construction and establishment of a College of Education, known today as Peaceland College of Education, Enugu. In the course of her preparations leading to her visit to Nigeria in 2007, there were lots of discouraging and dissenting voices from Mama Pia’s people aimed at stopping her from travelling to Nigeria because of her age (87 years) but especially because of security concerns in Nigeria and lack of immediate access to health care. But Mama Pia was not be stopped. She went on to commit in writing to Swiss authorities that she should be buried in Nigeria in the event of death.

Peaceland University Enugu

Peaceland College of Education, Enugu came into legal existence in 2014 through the instrumentality of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Abuja, to offer wide range of programmes leading to the award of Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE). The College, in her quest to make quality education available up to degree level to the teeming population of Nigerian youths, sought an affiliation agreement with the Abia State University, Uturu. The affiliation was formally ratified by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to offer degree certificates in Education.

Similarly, through the proceeds from the College of Education (founded and funded by Mama Pia,) Peaceland birthed the Health Education by establishing Peaceland College of Health Sciences and Technology sector: thanks to the College administration, to offer, among others, the following programmes: Community Health Extension Workers; Pharmacy Technicians; Medical Lab Technicians; Environmental Health Workers; Public Health; Epidemiology and Disease Control; and Information and Health Management. All these programmes were licensed in 2022 by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Kaduna. Worthy of note is that our Colleges of Education and Health Sciences and Technology fulfilled Mama Pia’s double desire for education and healthcare for others, herself an educator and a healthcare worker.

Frau Pia Meier Knuesel – Mama Pia

In 2019, the Promoters together with the Planning and Implementation Committee of Peaceland University, Enugu, approached the National Universities Commission (NUC) for a possible establishment of a University. The choice of our would-be Pioneer Pro-Chancellor was a fruit of prayer and hard search. For several years, we searched for a man or a woman whose spirit shares with Mama Pia’s spirit that cuts across human race, colour, etc., and whose giving goes beyond the shores of a nation.

Engr. Prince Arthur Eze – a Pillar and Promoter of academic emancipation through quality education, a Philanthropist of the highest order, a consummated Oil Magnate, humanitarian par excellence, global business guru of inter-continental connectivity, became the best choice for this prestigious position. He is indubitably and unarguably one of Nigeria’s foremost philanthropists who has provided, solidly supported and single-handedly undertaken ventures that touch human lives and put smiles on faces of both the high and the low. His magnanimity and generosity cut across ethnic and religious lines, classes, climes and creeds. There is hardly any area this great man has not beamed his light of benevolence. They include institutions of learning of all levels, rural development and infrastructure, human capital development, women and youth empowerment, church buildings, projects and programmes executions, etc.

In his usual magnanimity, this simple and humble man of charity, an Apostle and Prince of immense grace, lover of development and progress, practical Christian and Peace builder, acknowledged his appointment as the Pro-Chancellor of Peaceland University, Enugu and announced his support of the University, with a great sum of Five hundred million (N500,000,000.00) naira.

The Promoters and the Planning and Implementation Committee are ever grateful to the pioneer Pro-Chancellor of Peaceland University, Enugu for the hospitality at his house and for accepting to become the pioneer Pro-Chancellor of Peaceland University, Enugu, and for expressing his solid financial support for our dear nascent University. Our humble prayer is that the Good Lord will continue to guide, protect,

strengthen and bless him as we work with him together to realize and actualize the desires and dreams of our founding Mother.

PEACELAND UNIVERSITY ENUGU

Education

FEC approves 37 new private universities

Published

3 weeks ago

May 16, 2023

Advocate News Nigeria

Despite complaints of proliferation of universities in Nigeria, the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has approved the licensing of 37 new universities in the country.

Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, announced the approval after the extra-ordinary Council meeting on Monday.

He noted that the development brings to 72 the total number of universities licensed by the Buhari administration since 2015.

He failed to name the universities, but revealed that one of them is an online university, the first of its kind in Nigeria, and owned by a woman from Bauchi State, with expectation that it will cater for the likes of northern Muslim women who feel reluctant or are restrained from attending physical campus education.

Fielding questions on the expediency of additional universities given funding challenges of the existing ones, Adamu explained that these ones are all private, with enough funds to run them and they should not be denied the opportunity to exist.

The Minister further explained that Nigeria actually needs more universities as the available ones are not adequate to take up all those yearning for higher education.