ASUU Abuja Zone Holds
Congress to Strengthen Strike
By ERC Reporters
As the Academic Staff Union
of Universities (ASUU) strike enters a month, the Abuja Zone of the union held
a congress at the Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger state.
The zone includes the Federal University Abuja, Federal University of
Agriculture Markudi, Benue State University, Nasarawa State University, Federal
University of Technology, Minna, Kogi State University and also the host IBBU.
The reason for choosing
IBBU was to counter the wrong statement issued by both the school authorities
that the ASUU branch of the IBBU is only on a sympathising strike with the
national body. This statement was aimed at giving the impression that all was
well with University lecturers in IBBU. The purpose of the zonal meeting was
therefore to strengthen ties with the members of the union and to conscientize
the members about the rotten state of public education in Nigeria as a result
of poor funding, which is the major reason for the strike.
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| Congress of Abuja Zone of ASUU |
As the meeting made clear,
the Niger state government is not different from the Federal Government which
subscribes to the pro-capitalist philosophy of privatisation and poor funding
of public education. At the congress, lecturers explained that IBBU should
rightly be called TETFUND University because it is only TETFUND (an
intervention funding agency) that has been responsible for the little physical
projects going on in the University instead of the government.
There were lots of
interesting discussion and comments at the congress. Each branch gave reports
from their institutions about how pressure has been mounted on them to break
the strike. All the reports showed that the strike was sustained thus far with
the strength and willingness of the union members to continue the strike as
well as solidarity from civil society and campaigning groups.
The Education Rights
Campaign (ERC) was present with our leaflets and posters calling for support
for the strike. Comrade Dimeji Macaulay (ERC Niger State Coordinator) addressed
the congress. In his speech, Macaulay affirmed ERC solidarity to the ASUU
strike. He made reference to the role played by ERC in 2009 before government signed
agreement with ASUU as an example of ERC's historical solidarity for the
struggles of University lecturers and education workers for better funding of
education. He also made mention of the astronomical fee hikes at the Lagos
State University (LASU) and the rate at which politicians are looting money
meant for education funding as the reasons why the on-going strike of the
University lecturers is worth supporting by students and parents.
He urged ASUU not to make
this struggle a mere sit-at-home strike but to embark on mass rallies and
protest activities to strengthen the strike further, to compel government to
meet the demands of the strike and to also fight for improved funding and
democratic running of schools with inclusion of the elected representatives of
students, staff unions and communities.
However the need for rally
and public protest activities even though not further discussed was not
rejected. The ERC will continue to campaign among striking University lecturers
and all education workers for the right working class method of struggle to win
demands. After Macaulay spoke, there was a resounding applause and many of the
lecturers in attendance expressed appreciation for the work of the ERC.
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