…Vows to sanction FUTO, declares Pantami’s professorship illegal
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has embarked on a one-month warning strike beginning from Monday.
The National Executive Council, NEC, of the union had conscious deliberations that went into the early hours of Monday. During the course of the deliberations, members voted to embark on a one-month warning strike to remind the government of its demands.
The union said the purpose of the strike is to make the federal government do what is right that failure to do so, the they will go on an indefinite strike.
“We just want to give the government a long rope hoping that it would see the need to avoid a total paralysis of Academic activities in the nations Universities. We are parents too and have our children in the system but we cannot watch and allow the total collapse of education in the country.
“Our agitation is in the interest of all and if the system is made better, we will all enjoy it. Prominent personalities in the country have waded into the matter but the government seems recalcitrant” .
Part of the demands by the union includes payment of earned academic allowance, revitalization fund, the replacement of the integrated payroll information systems, IPPIS, with University transparency and accountability system UTAS, Among others.
Meanwhile, ASUU, says it has concluded plans to sanction its members in the Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO, and the university’s Vice-Chancellor over the “illegal” promotion of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami.
The union, which made this known during a press conference by its National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke held in Lagos on Monday, said promoting the minister to a professor was illegal.
According to ASUU, it is impossible to be a minister and a lecturer at the same time, describing the promotion as encouragement of illegality.
The union gave Pantami the option of quitting his job as a minister, saying he is currently not qualified to be treated as a professor.
He said, “You cannot be a minister and a lecturer in a university. It is an encouragement of illegality.
“Pantami has to quit as a minister and be tried for doing double jobs within the same federal system. He is not qualified. Pantami should not be treated as a professor.
“We have resolved to sanction ASUU members involved in his promotion and the VC of FUTO.”
