Despite the federal government’s position on the purported illegality of the protest over the continued strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Tuesday commenced a two-day nationwide protest to show its members angst over the stalemate.
While Minister of Information and Tourism Lai Mohammed had alleged the protest was illegal and would create anarchy in the country, his labour and employment counterpart, Dr Chris Ngige, also mocked the workers’ union, saying the protest was against international labour practices.
And toeing the government’s line, the Police also asked the NLC to obtain permit before going ahead with the protest.
Daring NLC
But daring the government and security agencies, the workers proceeded on the protest, saying their actions were in line with the international practices.
The congress threatened that if after the protest, the federal government failed to reach a truce with the striking varsity teachers; its members would be forced to commence a three-day warning strike.
NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba said this while featuring on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television Breakfast Show monitored by Blueprint in Abuja Tuesday.
The labour leader who said the protest was a warning signal, declared: “The next level is a three-day national warning strike if nothing has happened after the protest, to show our grievances.
“We are not on a solidarity action, we are affected directly.”
On federal government’s declaration of the protest as illegal, Wabba stated that the ongoing protest was a democratic norm which was constitutional and supported by the international charters, adding that it was not illegal to carry out such demonstration on the streets.
Wabba said: “These are democratic norms everywhere in the world. Even as an individual, you have the right to air your grievances. It is within the provision of our law. It is backed by the United Nations charter for human and people’s rights, African charter for human and people’s rights, and it is there in our constitution – sections 39 and 40.
“Even the court has pronounced that you don’t require any permission. It is legal and within your fundamental human rights to protest issues.
“When people say it’s illegal, I think people should remember that no condition is permanent. We have had some of our current politicians join the NLC to press for similar actions in the past.”
Kaduna
In Kaduna, not less 47 trade unions were out Tuesday to protest the lingering FG/ASUU face-off as protesters from various trade unions, assembled at the NLC secretariat on Golf Course Road, from where they marched to the State House of Assembly through the Independence Way.
The state chairman of the congress, Comrade Ayuba Magaji Suleiman, who led the protest, said Nigerian government didn’t understand any other language except protest.
He said: “This is a serious business. We want our children back to school. We are not financially buoyant to send our own children abroad for study. Labour is ready to take it back by our struggle, 47 trade unions are present here with us on the struggle.”
Ayuba, who delivered a two-page written documents, further stressed that the union was dismayed by the federal government’s paralysis and reluctance to take the necessary steps that could lead to peaceful resolution of the issues in dispute and by extension, end the strike.
“On our part, we have taken various initiatives to end this strike including writing to the Ministers of Education and Labour and Employment and the Presidency. Although this elicited some response from government, it was tokenistic and not sufficient. However, we find it appropriate to appeal to you to use your good offices and good conscience to get the Federal Government to bring to an end this strike action.
“Our immediate concern would be the immediate payment of the withheld salaries of university staff, shelve IPPIS, honour the agreements government entered into or re-negotiate in good faith, rebuild confidences, establish a framework for repositioning our universities for competitive service delivery and relevance in line with their mandate.
“This matter, we dare say, is of grave national importance, hence this appeal to you. While we await your response,” Ayuba added.
Receiving the protesters at the Kaduna state House of Assembly, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Isaac Auta Zankai, appreciated the labour leaders, saying: “On behalf of the Honourable Speaker, I want to thank you for your patience. Nobody is happy to see the students at home and our desire is to ensure the children are back to school.
“The Speaker and Chairman, Northern Speakers Forum, Hon. Yusuf Ibrahim Zailani, is currently in Abuja, over the issue and we know soon positive response will be heard.”
Kwara
From Ilorin, Kwara state, the university teachers asked the Buhari government treat their issue with human face, saying its members are not robots.
This is just as the organised labour threatened to embark on a three-day warning strike if the federal government failed to accede to their demands.
Chairman of the University of Ilorin chapter of ASUU, Professor Saliu Ajao and Kwara state chairman of NLC, Comrade Aliyu Isa Ore, said this during the protest rally.
Addressing journalists during the rally that saw hundreds of workers marching round major streets of Ilorin, Ajao insisted the university workers’ demands were legitimate and that the struggle belonged to the entire nation and not ASUU alone.
“Let the government tell us which of our demands are not legitimate. We have right to ask for what we deserve. Is it our salary that has not increased since the last thirteen years or our demand for government to make infrastructure available?
“We are not robots. Treat us like humans and save our children from idleness at home,” he said.
Also speaking the NLC state Chairman, Comrade Ore, said the rally was organised in solidarity with the university lecturers to impress it on the federal government to honour the agreement it reached with ASUU.
He said the federal government had signed an agreement with ASUU some years back on the revitalisation of the universities and other sundry issues.
Isa-Ore said that if the federal government refused to heed to their demand after the rally, the union would be left with no option but to proceed on a three-day warning strike.
Lagos
In Lagos, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) and other activists unanimously backed ASUU in its demands and asked the federal government to hearken the calls of the university teachers within two weeks, insisting that if nothing was done, there would be the mother of all strikes.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos Tuesday during the solidarity protest, the state chairman of the NLC, Comrade Funmi Sessi said the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had turned the nation’s youth criminals.
The protest train moved from Ikeja to the Lagos state secretariat in Alausa, with protesters carrying placards with several inscriptions such as ‘Stop importation of petrol, refine the refineries’, ‘Nigeria at 60 years of independence, more hunger in the land, etc.’
Another placard read, “Reduce the cost of governance now, save the masses from poverty and hunger.”
Ibadan
In Ibadan, Oyo state capital, labour unions across the state Tuesday threatened that all sectors of the nation’s economy would be shut down if federal government failed to meet demands of the striking varsity teachers.
In the protest were the NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), ASUU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASUU), Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) among others.
Speaking to journalists, the state’s NLC Chairman, Comrade Kayode Martins, said the protest was to call attention of the federal government to the situation of the nation’s education which he said was now in comatose.
“Children have been at home for months and nobody is doing anything to it, crime rate has also increased, government should come to the rescue of Nigerian youth, they are destroying our future, youth are the future of this country,” Martins said.
Also speaking, the chairman of TUC in the state, Comrade Emmanuel Ogundiran, said Nigeria’s education sector was currently in danger and that government should find lasting solution to the lingering crisis to save the future of Nigerian students.
He said: “It seems we don’t have government in this country, those at the helm of affairs are playing with the future of our children. They are not serious with the welfare of average Nigerians, no security, no infrastructure, the hope that gives our little ones opportunity to become better person which is education has been killed, they are trying to kill education in Nigeria.”
Speaking further, the TUC boss said: “This protest is just a warning to say enough is enough, we are not happy with our leaders.”
Earlier, the protesters had assembled at the state’s NLC secretariat for the commencement of the peaceful protest.
At about 9.45am, the protesters began moving towards Yidi to Agodi Gate where labour leaders, including Comrade Femi Aborisade, Prof Ademola Aremu and several others addressed traders in the area on the need for the protest.
From Agodi Gate, the protesters moved towards Total Garden area to the Oyo state Secretariat to deliver letter of protest to Governor Seyi Makinde for onward transmission to President Muhammadu Buhari.
In the letter, the labour unions asked the federal government to end the over five-month- old strike embarked upon by the ASUU.
“We are dismayed by the federal government’s paralysis and reluctance to take the necessary steps that could lead to the peaceful resolution of the issues in dispute and by extension, end the strike. We find it appropriate to appeal to you to use your good offices and good conscience to get the federal government to bring to an end this strike action.
“The immediate concern would be the immediate payment of the withheld salaries of university staff, shelve IPPIS, honour the agreements government entered into or re-negotiate in good faith, rebuild confidences, establish a frame work for repositioning our universities for competitive service delivery and relevance in line with their mandate,” the labour leaders wrote.
