The Committee of Pro-chancellors of state universities on Monday said state universities could not be coerced to implement the agreement reached between the Federal Government and lecturers in Federal Universities under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The pro-chancellors also stated that there was a need for the democratisation of memberships of unions in the universities, noting that state varsities’ membership was voluntary.
The PUNCH reports that some state universities have come under fire over their failure to pull out of the ongoing strike declared by the national body of ASUU.
The spokesperson of the ministry of education, Ben Goong, had told our correspondent that the agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU wouldn’t be binding on state universities.
However, the ASUU president, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, alongside some state university ASUU chairmen, had kicked against the development claiming that “ASUU is one”.
In a communique made available to The PUNCH on Monday, the pro-chancellors said, “ The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-owned Universities read with alarm and disbelieve a statement made by the President of the ASUU Prof. Emmanuel Osodike on a television programme on Arise, where he said that State Universities are “irrelevant and quacks” on 26th August 2022.
“Our first reaction was to ignore this tendentious, ill-conceived and flagrant unconscionable statement by the President of ASUU, but on reflection, it was thought necessary to do a rejoinder to this rather unfortunate statement having regard to the position of the President of ASUU in the scheme of things in our University system in Nigeria.
“Though COPSUN will not want to go into any diatribe with the President of ASUU, the Committee wishes to state as follows to put records straight:
“That the Pro-Chancellors of our State Universities and indeed members of the councils are distinguished and accomplished eminent persons who served and still serve this Nation in many capacities. Amongst the members are retired Ambassadors, retired Generals in the Armed forces, retired Vice-Chancellors, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, renowned politicians and other distinguished professionals.
“COPSUN wishes to appeal to the President of ASUU to realise that the membership of ASUU is voluntary. Therefore, it is not his ill-informed approach and denigration of state universities that will lead to fashioning out creative approaches to avoid existential extinction that will solve the myriad of problems confronting the University system in Nigeria.
The pro-chancellors added, “The very unfortunate ill-digested view of the President of ASUU had vindicated the position of this Committee on the following issues;
“The negative professionalisation of offices of the Unions that operate in our Universities and the unserious belief among many members of the Unions that the Unions are superior to the Councils of the Universities that are their employers.
“The need for immediate democratisation of the membership of Unions in the universities to the extent of the freedom of any individual to belong to a Union with options of not belonging.
“Devolution of powers on the issues of labour, wages and salaries with freedom of the employers to negotiate with their employees, as practised in other parts of the world, where we borrowed the University system.
“State Universities cannot be forced or coerced to implement agreements reached between the Federal Government and her workers in the Universities to which they are not parties.
“It is time to respect the Federal nature of our government in all matters and not selectively, especially on the issues of salaries and wages”.
