Investigation by Sunday PUNCH has shown that the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the National Association of Resident Doctors embarked on no fewer than 552 days of industrial action under the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
This is as the National Union of Teachers criticised the President and other public office holders for engaging in medical tourism and sending their children overseas for education, while the nation’s education system rots away.
Before Buhari assumed office in 2015, the length of strikes in the nation’s universities reached 13 months under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. NARD, on its part, embarked on a total of 27 days’ strike under Jonathan.
ASUU strikes under Buhari
In 2017, ASUU declared an indefinite strike over unresolved and contentious issues with the Federal Government. The strike, which started in August 17, 2017, was called off on September 17, 2017.
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In 2018, the union embarked on another strike over poor funding of universities; an alleged plan by the Federal Government to increase students’ fees and introduce an education bank; as well as non-implementation of previous agreements.
The strike, which commenced on November 4, 2018, was called off on February 8, 2019 after three months.
In 2020, the union again embarked on what would be the longest industrial action so far in a decade, when it went on a nine-month strike over non-payment of salaries of its members who did not enrol on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System’s platform.
This year, the association has gone on strike twice, including the ongoing one.
The strike, which commenced on March 24, 2020, was suspended on conditions that the government would meet the demands of the union on December 23, 2020.
In 2021, the leadership of the union in different universities have been issuing threats and agitating for another industrial action due to the failure of the government to attend to their demands.
NARD’s Strikes
In 2016, NARD, under the leadership of then National President, Dr Muhammad Askira, embarked on an 18-day strike.
In 2017, the association, under the leadership of Dr John Onyebueze, again went on strike.
The strike, which commenced on September 4, 2017, was suspended on September 17, 2017.
In 2020, NARD, under the leadership of Dr Aliyu Sokomba, again went on a one-week nationwide strike on June 15, 2020 over the disengagement of 26 resident doctors at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, salary cuts and issues surrounding the medical residency training fund. The strike was called off on June 22, 2020.
NARD went on strike on April 1, 2021. The strike, which was suspended on April 10 due to the intervention of the Speaker of House of Representatives, was due to the refusal of the Office of the Head of Service to allow the enrolment of resident doctors on the IPPIS platform.
The association is also protesting the non-payment of allowances for house officers, non-payment of death benefits of the members it lost to COVID-19 and non-payment of medical residency training fund.
On July 31, NARD, under the leadership of Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, announced the commencement of an indefinite strike due to the failure of the Federal Government to honour the agreements reached before the previous strike was shelved.
NUT Reacts
The Secretary General of the National Union of Teachers, Dr Mike Ene, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH on Thursday, accused the President and some other public officials of constantly engaging in medical tourism and sending their children overseas for education, while the health and education sectors in Nigeria were left to rot.
Ene described their actions as unfair and unjust.
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He said, “It is unfair and unjust that in Nigeria, we see the President and some other politicians engaging in medical tourism and you see them sending their children abroad for education, while the system here continues to rot.
“The worst thing that can happen to a country is if its education and health sectors are in shambles and that is what is happening in Nigeria.
“If the other countries fail to take care of their education and health sectors, will our leaders go there? Will they send their children there to school?”
(PUNCH)
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