5-DAY WARNING STRIKE OF SSANU, NASU AND NAAT: ANOTHER SIGN THAT BUHARI GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED PUBLIC EDUCATION

We Support the Strike and Call on Government to avoid further disruption of academic calendar by meeting all demands

Press statement

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) fully supports the decision of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NASU) to embark on a 5-day warning strike from Monday 16 January 2017 to compel the federal government to fully implement the tenets of the 2009 FGN/ Non Teaching Staff Union agreement.

We call on the Buhari government to immediately meet the demands of the unions in order to stem this dangerous cycle of incessant closure of campuses and disruption of academic calendar which have become permanent features of public education under this government.

We believe that given the sordid conditions on campuses today characterized by low funding and inadequate teaching facilities, students, parents and the general public as a matter of necessity must support all struggles of the staff unions to challenge government to fulfill its social responsibilities. This is why we call for solidarity actions to back the struggle of these striking unions and demonstrate that the struggle to salvage public education is one that unites students, staff and the working class.

We also call on the striking unions in particular not to make this warning strike a mere sit-at-home action. As the ERC has pointed out repeatedly, a common mistake of past struggles waged by unions in the education sector as well as the wider labour movement is to mis-interpret the role of a warning strike thus mismanaging the potential that this kind of action has in detonating a bigger movement that can win concessions. To be clear, a warning strike is an action that presupposes the possibility of a bigger and longer action (s) in future especially if government remains intransigent. Therefore, a warning strike is a preparatory action whose essential purpose is to signal to the government that the workers are ready to fight but more importantly to prepare the fighting forces, educate them and mobilize them for the bigger struggles impending.

Therefore it is our view that this 5-day warning strike can only be adjudged successful if side by side with workers effectively withdrawing their services, public programs like congresses, mass meetings, symposium, rallies, media campaign and leafleting are organized. This kind of public activities will allow the unions to take their case to the students and the general public thus exposing government insincerity with a view to securing the support of the critical mass of the students and the working people which would prove useful if at some time later the unions are forced by continuous government intransigence to embark on indefinite strikes or actions of similar nature.

No doubt, the decision of the non-teaching staff unions to begin another warning strike, just about two months after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) also shut down the public Universities, is a sad reminder that nothing has changed for the better in the education sector since the Buhari government came nearly two years ago. Rather in many ways, a lot has gone from bad to worse at primary, secondary and tertiary tiers of public education. Nearly two years after, there is no known plan or roadmap by the Buhari government to address the rot in the system. In many ways, it seems the ministry of education and the associated agencies are on auto pilot given recent controversies surrounding qualifications for admission into tertiary institutions.

Not only does the 2017 appropriation bill contain one of the lowest allocations to education in recent times, there have been too many closures of Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education over the past 19 months. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) which has been shut for 8 months easily comes to mind. So do the University of Lagos, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), University of Portharcourt (UNIPORT), Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko (AAUA) and others.

In addition, intolerance and readiness to suspend and expel students’ activists or sack workers leaders are on the rise. So also is the penchant to use security operatives to harass students and workers leaders. It will not amount to gainsaying to reach the conclusion that in the last 19 months of Buhari administration, respect for democratic and human rights has remained under a serious threat in tertiary institutions.

On the whole, the Buhari/APC administration, just like the Jonathan/PDP administration before it, sees public education as a business instead of a social responsibility to the people. This is why anti-poor policies of education underfunding, privatization, commercialization and hike in fees which were the ruinous policies of past regimes have been preserved and are now being implemented with gusto by the Buhari administration.

More than ever before, there is urgent necessity for staff unions and students unions as well as campaigning groups like the ERC to unite to build a strong and powerful mass movement that can begin to resist, through strikes and joint mass protests/demonstrations, the anti-poor education policies of the Buhari government while fighting for improved funding, democratic management, respect of democratic rights and implementation of agreements with staff unions.

Hassan Taiwo Soweto                                                                      Ibukun Omole                          

National Coordinator (07033697259)                                       National Secretary

ERC CONDEMNS THE 35% INCREMENT OF THE TUITION FEE IN ADEYEMI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, ONDO

·         Demands the immediate and unconditional reversal of the obnoxious fee

·         Calls for an organized movement of students against all forms of fee hike including the administrative fee

·         Demands for a general congress of students to address this issue among others

·         Demands for proper and adequate funding of public education

·         For free and functional education must be accessible by all

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) Ondo State Chapter condemns the 35% hike in the tuition fee of the fresh degree students of Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo from N39, 000 (for Arts, languages and education) to N55, 500 and from N39, 500 (for science and science, vocation and technical education) to N60, 500. We note that this increment has come in a period of economic hardship viz-a-viz non-payment of salaries across majority of the states in the country, and inflation which has led to increases in the cost of goods and services. We consider this increment as anti-students and anti-poor. If implemented, it is capable of limiting many students from accessing public education in the country.

Meanwhile this fee increment does not come as a surprise. It is a logical culmination of the series of anti-poor increases in payable fees that the authorities of Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) Ondo have been imposing on students and their poor parents over the years. No doubt the authorities of ACE have continued to impose all kinds of ridiculous charges. For instance during the 2011/2012 academic session, the management introduced a so-called maintenance fee of N3, 000 for degree and N2, 000 for NCE students. Similarly during the 2012/2013 academic session, the authorities introduced acceptance fee of N10, 000 while in the 2014/2015 academic session, an administrative fee of N10, 000 was introduced. 

The argument behind the introduction of maintenance fee in the 2011/2013 session was to cater for the immediate needs of the departments and schools (faculties) but this has not stopped the heads and deans of various schools and departments from demanding a quota from the students’ association purse. 

Also, the acceptance fee which was introduced in2012/2013session in the name of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has continued to defy the law of gravity, growing to as much as N25, 000 (for degree students) and N20, 000 (for NCE students) in 2016/2017 session. 

Not only limited to this, an administrative fee of 10,000 was as well introduced in 2014/2015 which started with fresh students only. By this, the increment affected only fresh students and they will continue to pay it till they graduate. As at present, only the 400level students are exempted from this fee. This means that all students will have to pay this fee starting from the next session. This same method was again used for the latest hike in fees in the college. 

This tactical hike in fee is not unconnected with the threat from the mother institution – Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife –which allegedly has threatened to terminate its affiliation if these anti-students policies are not implemented. As the management of ACE Ondo has justified, the administrative fee is meant to cater for the salary arrears and remunerations of the staff taking degree courses as they were only employed for NCE programs and OAU is not taking the responsibilities of remunerating them. In addition to this, it was also stated that it is a norm and it is being done in every other institutions having an affiliation (University of Ibadan, COE Ilesha as example). ERC wonder why students will have to pay for services of the staff in a federal institution. As far as we are concerned, since the degree programme is approved by relevant bodies, the government which is the owner of both institutions should take up the responsibility of paying the salaries and allowances of the academic staff. 

Not limited to this, the same mother institution, OAU, has also demanded for an increment in the fee of the degree students of the affiliate institution, ACE Ondo, to level up with that of OAU faculty of Education if the students want to continue earning the certificate of OAU. The 100% increment proposed by OAU was later negotiated and reduced to the present fee which is statistically 35% greater than the initial fee. While not accepting that the current fee being paid by OAU Education students is fair and just, ERC wonders why ACE students will have to pay the same fee as OAU students when both do not enjoy neither the same amenities nor taught under the same learning conditions. If this threat amidst others are not resisted, ERC fears many and even worse policies will arise in future.

With the explanations above, we can conclude that the inability of ACE to resist various anti-students policies compelled on them has resulted in series of hike in fees. Also, the increment is tactical, starting only with fresh students with the tactics that stale students may not intervene and fresh students (who are actually eager for admission) would graciously pay. Also, the decision of the students union to negotiate the fee without the consent of the majority of the students they represent is condemnable. It is imperative that the rank and file of students must be consulted before such a negotiation is made. For issues relating to students, a well-attended congress of students must be convened with a view to properly convey the opinion of students to the management.  Hence, a congress of students is inevitable at this point. 

The fact that the fee affects only fresh is not an enough reasons for students not to reject such. We should be reminded that the birth of the administrative fee was the same which later attracted lots of mixed reactions later. Also, it should be noted that even NCE students who may actually want to come over for their Degree programs will surely be affected by this. Hence, we call on a radical thinking of students towards this. In essence, we urge students not to fall for this divide and rule gimmick of the college management. Stale and fresh students are the same; they study under the same terrible conditions of learning. We therefore call for unity of all students to resist the fee hike through mass demonstrations and lecture boycotts.

Considering that many ACE students are self-sponsored while several others are children of public workers who are being owed backlog of salaries, the outcome of this is that many students will be denied access  to public education and forced to wait for another year at home. The set of students who have been denied of admission will seek for alternative thereby teaming up to engage in various social vices such as raping, smoking, drinking, cultism, stealing, kidnapping and consequently armed robbery.

Our position as Education Rights Campaign is that free and quality education must be accessible to all. Consequent upon this background, we call on students and activists to resist these future-ruining anti-students policies. Students should understand that if these various threats of the ACE and OAU authorities are not resisted, the upcoming policies might be extremely unbearable and force many students who cannot cope to drop out. We also call on staff unions in the College to oppose the fee hike and stand in solidarity with students until the struggle for reversal is won. This is essential because ACE management may want to use the need for payment of the salary and allowances of workers to justify the anti-poor increment with a view to driving a wedge between students and workers in the institution.

While the management can be timid to confront these policies from OAU for the fear of losing its affiliation, students must start organizing themselves to take up this issue with a view to delivering ACE from any further attack on the campus. We also call on student activist and left organizations in OAU to take up this issue with a view to stopping OAU from any further intimidation on ACE as well as the complete reversal of the existing anti-poor policies.

In conclusion, a general congress of students at this point is inevitable and long overdue. We propose that if the union leadership refuses to call for a congress, the congress of students should start mobilizing themselves with a view to demanding for the reversal of this fee. Also, students need to start demanding for an increased budgetary allocation to education so that the drive to increase the internally generated revenue (IGR) will be totally suppressed and free and functional education will be accessible to all. It is until the students and workers are organized that all these policies can be resisted.

Owoyomi Damilola Owot

Ondo State Coordinator

Education Rights Campaign (ERC)

07065184322

Erc_ondo@yahoo.com

REOPEN LAUTECH NOW BUT ALSO MEET DEMANDS OF STRIKING UNIONS

*NO TO FEE HIKE! IMPROVED FUNDING AND DEMOCRATIC MANAGEMENT OF LAUTECH IS THE ONLY WAY FORWARD!

*ERC BLAMES OSUN AND OYO STATE GOVERNMENTS FOR THE LAUTECH CRISIS!

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) condemns the governments of Osun State and Oyo State for their irresponsibility which has been the cause of the lingering crisis at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso. It is longer news that LAUTECH has been shut down for about Seven (7) months now. This is absolute contempt by the respective governments for the future of the youths particularly the students of this supposed great institution. This contempt makes it obvious that the interest of both the Oyo and Osun State governments is to kill public education as a basis to present the private tertiary institutions as an alternative and in turn making education less affordable, less accessible and of less quality.

OYO AND OSUN GOVERNMENTS ARE TO BE BLAMED FOR THE CLOSURE

This closure was a direct consequence of the inability of the two state governments to pay the salaries and allowances of workers in the school. This is a result of the fact that both states did not pay the subvention that was necessary for the smooth running of the school. This subvention owed by Osun state and Oyo state is about 22 months.

To us in ERC, this is a sign of gross irresponsibility on the part of the two state governments. Despite the decline in the revenue from the FG, it is a deceit for either of the two state governments to claim that there are no enough financial resources at their disposal to have avoided this closure in the first instance. It is the misappropriation and financial corruption of both state governments that have led to the inability to pay the workers’ wages, not shortage of funds. The shared funding responsibility on the two states was meant to ensure that the university is appropriately funded, yet the activities of the university have been brought to an abrupt stop due to low funding. 

The ERC fully backs the struggle of the staff unions of LAUTECH because it is a struggle to resist the penchant of Oyo and Osun to shirk their responsibilities towards the institution. We therefore put the blame for the continued closure of the University on the intransigence of the anti-education governments of Oyo and Osun states. At the same time, we share the concern and anger of students over the continued closure. Seven (7) months of idleness at home is enough to spark anger among students. This is an entire seven months wasted in the lives of these young people for no reason of theirs. Also due to the fact that the school is not a residential school, the closure has led to a situation where most students’ rents have lapsed without them staying in the rented apartment for up to half of their yearly tenancy. 

STAND AGAINST DIVISION! WORKERS AND STUDENTS UNITE IN STRUGGLE

The attention of the ERC has been drawn to an earlier development in the institution where some rented thugs under the pretense of indigenes of the resident town were sponsored to beat up some workers in the institution. We condemn this in its entirety and see it as a ploy to distract workers and stakeholders of the school from the main enemy of progress, which is the government.

We also suspect this dastardly action being perpetrated under the guise of campaigning for a review of the joint ownership of the university as a gimmick possibly initiated by both state governments and their surrogates, who are beneficiaries of the rot, to divide and rule the workers of the university against the interest of the workers. It is this divide-and-rule tactics that is behind the directive that the funds paid by one state should be used to pay workers originating from that state alone.

While it has been reported that  Osun state allegedly owes more of the funding debts, this does not vindicate the Oyo state government that have always been known for her belligerent and anti-poor attitude towards public education. The two states are run by the capitalist All Progressives Congress (APC) ruling party, and therefore share the same pro-commercialization underfunding policies on the public education sector. 

In particular, the Ajimobi-led Oyo state government has no leverage to claim a moral high ground over his fellow anti-poor Osun state governor, Aregbesola. We must all recall the magnificent seven-week strike/mass protests of Oyo state workers, teachers and pupils last year over unpaid wages and attempts by the Oyo state government to sell off public secondary schools under the guise of Public Private Partnership (PPP). 

At the moment, almost all the state-owned tertiary institutions in Oyo state are either on strike or at different stages of agitations over unpaid salaries and dwindling subventions. Against this background therefore, there is no guarantee that LAUTECH will enjoy any spectacular progress even if sole ownership is granted to Oyo state as some groups have erroneously argued. More so with the prevailing neo-liberal consensus of the federal and state governments to unload the burden of the economic recession on the working and poor masses, there is no safe refuge anywhere.  Only the preparedness of workers and students to fight at all times to defend the right to a public-funded and quality education can win concessions. 

The ERC therefore urge workers, students and the mass of people in Osun and Oyo states to resist the attempt to sow division and hatred among them. Only the anti-poor governments of Osun and Oyo will benefit from such division. We therefore call for unity of workers, students and the mass of people of Oyo and Osun states in common struggle to fight for improved funding of LAUECH, re-opening of the institution and provision of adequate facilities for quality education. 

NO TO FEE HIKE! FOR INCREASED SUBVENTION TO LAUTECH

It is with this premise that we reject in advance the proposal to increase the school fees of the students by 65% and 75% for indigenes and non-indigenes respectively, in order to cover for the shortage of funds. We consider the opinion of fee increment anti-poor because parents being owed salaries and those being paid half-salaries cannot be expected to provide the funds to run the school. 

We fully understand that any increment will only deprive many students of the ability to afford tertiary education and on this basis, we strongly advise the state governments to desist from such disruptive plans. The fee increment, as proposed by Governor Ajimobi at a town hall meeting, would raise the fee of the school to about N350, 000. But, the comment of the governor of Oyo state, Ajimobi, as reported by Premium Times on December 19, 2016 that ‘there are universities that operate without subvention’ expresses concretely that the state governments are not interested in the proper funding of the university, as the governments audaciously compare the institution to private universities.

NO TO REPRESSION! FOR RESPECT OF DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO INDEPENDENT STUDENTS UNIONISM

We also condemn the totalitarian tendencies entrenched in the communiqué of the meeting of the two states which was published in the Vanguard of October, 21^st 2016, that ‘the duo states hereby enjoin all residents of the two states as well as other stakeholders including students, teachers and workers to go about their lawful duties… The states warned that anyone or group that does otherwise will face the full wrath of the law’. 

The above quote defeats all logic of diplomatic governance as governors are asking unpaid workers to go to work instead of paying them. Also, the statement is enough grounds for the indictment of the state governments in the shooting of peacefully protesting students on the 9^th of December the same year, as allegedly ordered by the governor of Oyo state. In fact, the tyranny was so pronounced that the police were ordered to arrest the protesting students. 

We demand a halt to all repressions either against students or workers. Also we demand that students’ democratic rights to peaceful protest and independent unionism be respected. Together with the attacks on workers of the institution, students of LAUTECH are also being denied the right to independent unionism. Using the pretext of a crisis during the last Students Union elections, the authorities in a brazen and despotic manner proscribed the union thus denying the mass of students a legitimate voice and platform to articulate their demands. The ERC demands that students be allowed to democratically run their union without interference from the authorities. We therefore demand the restoration of the LAUTECH Students Union.

STRUGGLE CONTINUES UNTIL VICTORY!

The ERC stands with LAUTECH students and urge them to organize bigger protests and demonstrations until the University is opened. However even if the school is forced opened, we must continue to demand improved funding and democratic management of the University because only this can guarantee peace and quality education on the long run. We call on the entire students’ movement, the labour movement, civil society organizations and the general public to rise to the aid of LAUTECH staff and students by condemning the refusal of Osun and Oyo states to fulfill their responsibilities.

This issued by Education Rights Campaign, ERC. ERC is a platform formed by members of Democratic Socialist Movement, DSM. To join us or more information contact the following numbers: 07033697259, 08172748666, and 08161836554