Mobilises for NATIONAL PROTEST!
Tuesday, July 16th 2013
PRESS STATEMENT
1. The Joint Action Front (JAF) held a General Meeting on Sunday,
July 14th to discuss specifically the crises in the Education sector
in the country, in view of the ongoing strikes by unions in tertiary
institutions [Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Academic Staff Union
of Polytechnics (ASUP), and Senior Staff Association of Polytechnics (SSANIP)],
which has led to the closure of the universities in the past two weeks, and the
polytechnics for more than two months.
2. The meeting took notice of the irresponsibility and insensitivity
of the Federal Government and State Governments to the collapsing state of
public education because all political office holders (executives and
legislators) and civil service top functionaries at all levels of Government,
have unhindered corruptive access to the looting of public fund, with which
they sustain their children and cronies in private schools and universities in
Nigeria and abroad. Hence, their callous disregard to the legitimate demands by
ASUU, ASUP and SSANIP for the implementation of collective Agreements reached
by Governments and Managements of tertiary institutions with the unions.
3. JAF urges Nigerians and
the international community to support the demands by the unions in the
tertiary institutions, because the demands are patriotic and are based in the
overall interest of the oppressed masses in the country, whose millions of
children and wards, are being denied access to education.
4. The core demands of ASUU
are:
·
“Failures by Government (Federal and State) to fund facilities and
infrastructure in the universities,
·
Failure to IMPELEMENT
the NEEDS Assessment Report on the standardization and effective running of the
universities, and
·
Failure to pay
legitimately earned allowances of the academic staffs”.
As for ASUP and SSANIP, their basic demands are:
·
“The continuing
derogatory recognition of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) as
the regulatory body of Polytechnic education as against the agreed creation of
a National Polytechnic Commission,
· Non-Commencement of the
renegotiation of the FGN/ASUP Agreements as contained in the signed Agreement,
· Non-Reconstitution of
the Governing Councils of the Federal Polytechnics,
· Failure by the Federal
Government to release the White Paper on the Visitations to the Polytechnics,
and
· Non-IMPLEMENTATION of
the Agreement on migration of Polytechnic Staffs at lower grades on CONTISS 15
Salary scale, and Failure by most State Governments to IMPLEMENT the
approved Salary package (CONPCASS).
5. JAF declares its TOTAL SUPPORT for the ongoing strike actions by
ASUU, ASUP and SSANIP, and demand that the Federal Government and State
Governments concerned in the management of the various tertiary institutions
should IMPLEMENT without further delay the Agreements reached with the various
unions.
6. The Meeting resolved
that the National leadership of JAF should commence mobilization of all
stakeholders in the education sector at the primary, secondary and tertiary
institution levels, including students, parents, and affiliates of the Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) and groups in the informal
sector (artisans, traders, women, etc) towards a NATIONWIDE MASS PROTEST to save
PUBLIC EDUCATION and ensure that the Federal and State Governments IMPLEMENT
soonest Agreements reached with ASUU, ASUP, SSANIP.
7. JAF will, after due
consultation with all the stakeholders in the education sector, unfold the
Programme of a sustained NATIONWIDE MASS PROTEST in order to ensure that the FG
and State Governments not only accede to the legitimate demands of ASUU, ASUP
and SSANIP but should accord funding of public education a fundamental human
rights’ necessity.
FORWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER
DR. DIPO
FASHINA COMRADE
ABIODUN AREMU
JAF
Chairperson
JAF Secretary
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