ERC Calls on the Striking Unions to Escalate the Strike By
Embarking on Nationwide Mass Protests and Demonstrations
Press Statement
The
Education Rights Campaign (ERC) puts the blame for the lingering strike of the
Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non Academic Staff
Union NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) at the
feet of the President Muhammadu Buhari anti-poor capitalist APC government.
Since the
strike started in December 2017, the federal government has largely ignored the
unions. In fact, the President Buhari government has been insensitive to the
demands of the striking unions and the plight of students who have been
subjected to terrible living and studying conditions as a result of the
stoppage of essential services like water and electricity supply to classrooms,
libraries, laboratories, offices and hostels as well as waste disposal due to
the strike action.
We in the
Education Rights Campaign (ERC) strongly condemn the federal government refusal
to resolve the issues surrounding the demands of the striking unions. We
believe that every worker has the right to his or her wages and associated
allowances and the demand for earned allowances by the unions is for the
services rendered to the institutions and by extension Nigeria at large.
We hereby demand the immediate meeting of the demands of
the striking unions which include payment of backlog of earned allowances that
the government has been owing the striking workers for several years now.
The ERC
stands with SSANU, NASU and NAAT in their struggle. For far too long,
successive anti-poor governments have treated non-academic workers with
disdain. However, this is not to mean that academic workers are treated
any better. Meanwhile, without non-academic workers, no university or any
institution can function. We therefore urge SSANU, NASU and NAAT to escalate
the strike by organizing nationwide mass protests and demonstrations. This is
essential to build public support for the strike and pile pressure on the
government.
As the
strike actions in the university linger, students are faced with many
challenges on campus. The withdrawal of services by the unions translates to
shut down of electricity, water and many other essential services provided by
the non-teaching staff. At the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) for instance,
students had to write their examinations in a sorry state with no electricity
to read in the hostels and many other unbearable circumstances. Many had to
depend for weeks on water scooped from surrounding streams. This was aside the
mountain of refuse that piled up on every inch of the campus as a result of the
withdrawal of service by workers who carry out these functions in compliance
with the strike.
At the
University of Lagos (UNILAG) the welfare conditions are getting worse. Students
hardly cook in their hostels as electricity and ordinary water are out of reach
of students. Most of the classrooms and laboratories are under lock and key.
Learning for students has never been this bad and yet the government of the day
is yet to attend to the burning issues. Many other campuses in the country face
similar issues and we in the ERC feels this is the right time we students takes
position on what benefit our future.
Given the
terrible sanitary conditions on the campus as s a result of the strike, an
epidemic outbreak at some point cannot be ruled out. We therefore urge parents
and the public to hold the Federal government responsible if any mishap should
happen to students in public universities affected by the strike including ill
health, outbreak of cholera and other diseases arising from the terrible
conditions students in public universities are now subjected.
We call on
the Students Union body on all campuses to join in the campaign in calling on
the President Buhari APC government to immediately meet the demands of the
SSANU, NASU and NAAT as well as improve funding of the education sector so that
the striking workers can return to work and restore essential services without
which no university can truly function. It is obvious no doubt that this
government current budget to education is a mere 7% of the total budget, an
indication that this capitalist government does not care on improving our
education.
We call on
all education workers, both teaching and non-teaching, students and parents to
initiate a joint struggle for better funding and democratic management of
education in the country where workers remunerations will be taken seriously,
adequate facilities for quality education provided, as well as improved
students welfare conditions across all campuses.
Hassan Taiwo
Soweto
Ibukun
Omole
National Coordinator
(07033697259)
National
Secretary
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