THE Joint Action Front (JAF) has asked Nigerians to arise and save publication just as it declares a total support and solidarity with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as the union embarked on a one month warning strike last Monday, February 14, 2022.
In a press statement dated 16th February 2022, and signed by its Secretary, Comrade Abiodun Aremu, JAF called on the federal government to immediately meet the demands of ASUU so that students of public universities throughout the country can return to class.
ASUU, JAF said, was “compelled to proceed on the strike because the anti-people, insensitive and despicable Buhari Government has since inception in 2015, demonstrated unseriousness, insincerity and contemptuous disregard to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Memorandum of Action (MOA) the Federal Government reached and signed with the union.”
JAF also declared its total support for all the demands of ASUU including its rejection of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and demand in its place the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
“The legitimate demands of ASUU, which have been recurring since the 2009 FG and ASUU Collective Agreements broadly centred on: adequate funding and revitalization of public universities; university autonomy; and payment of the legitimate entitlements and welfare due to university lecturers.
“JAF supports all the demands of ASUU, including the demand for the adoption of UTAS (University Transparency and Accountability Solution) as opposed to the corruption and fraud- induced payment system called Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) that the FG imposed on the University system. We hold that the full implementation of these demands can guarantee improvement in the standard of university education, make it possible for children of the working class and poor masses to access university education and enhance improvement in working conditions of the lecturers,” the statement reads.
JAF commended ASUU for making the strike definite and for offering the federal government a 4-week lifeline to resolve all outstanding issues with ASUU.
While urging both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to declare solidarity action in support of the strike so as to mount pressure on the federal government to immediately meet the demands of ASUU, JAF also called “on the working people, students, youths, women, artisans and professionals, poor masses, etc, to join forces to support the demands of the strike action.”
It restated its preparedness “to organize with ASUU a series of mass activities to sensitize the public and mobilize mass support for their demands, and thereby call for a joint struggle of all unions in the education sector on their collective demands that should be anchored on Adequate Funding of Public Education and its democratic management.”
The statement further reads: “JAF reiterates its consistent position against the neo-liberal capitalist program of underfunding of public education and public interest, which the Buhari Government and its predecessors adopted and which has been responsible for the prevailing socio-economic crises and underdevelopment of the country! We contend that it is only the struggle and solidarity of the working class, students and youth, women and the oppressed masses that can force the regimes of the looters’ class in Nigeria, not only to meet the demands of ASUU, but also, to commit public wealth to fund public education and public welfare, in general.”
