Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Abubakar Y Suleiman holds crucial meeting with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Bauchi State University Gadau Branch over the ongoing strike and other contentious issues between the Union and the State Government, in his office, today.
Briefing journalists after the meeting which lasted for hours, the Speaker explained that the Assembly is disturbed with the industrial action taken by the National body of the Union and the planned internal strike by the Bauchi State University Gadau’s Branch of the Union immediately after the national strike.
According to him, as representative of the people, they are worried on how university students in the State are kept at home for eight months due to the strike which brought a lot of setback to the students and their parents, hence the reason of convening the meeting.
“The Assembly has during one of its plenary made resolution on the need of the State Government to intervene on the lingering strike in the State University, sit with ASUU and the University Management to find lasting solutions to the problems affecting the University so that the school will reopen and students return for their studies.
“While waiting to see the implementation of the resolution, we read in a press release issued by the Union that even when the nationwide strike is called off, it is planning to embark on internal strike. This is disturbing. Thus, we find it necessary to convene this very important meeting with the leadership of the Union, the Vice Chancellor and the representatives of the Ministry of Education, with a view to finding lasting solutions to the problems bedeviling the University.” The Speaker said.
He explained that the meeting was fruitful as they ironed out the major problems affecting the University such as lack of adequate funding, delay in payment of salaries, earned academic allowance among others and proffered way out.
Rt. Hon. Abubakar Y Suleiman who said that lack of adequate funding has been the problem of the University since inception, assured the Union that the Executive Governor of Bauchi State His Excellency Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammad is very committed in solving all problems affecting education in the State including that of the State University.
He pledges that the State Assembly will discuss the outcome of the meeting especially the issue of adequate funding and creation of Ministry of Higher Education for easy handling of higher education in the State, earned academic allowances and other issues affecting the University and work with the Executive Arm to ensure that the problems are solved and the current and the pending strikes are averted, so that academic activities will resume immediately.
The Speaker who commended the ASUU and the Management of the University for their patriotism, expressed the appreciation of the Honourable House to the Union for honouring its invitation.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Union Malam Yusuf Musa Yahaya commended the Speaker for the intervention which he said is a testimony of his concern on the plight of the students and the lecturers and zeal to finding lasting solution.
He states that the efforts made by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila have yielded positive results toward ending the national strike, thus they are happy that the Speaker of Bauchi Assembly follows suit by intervening on the lingering issues at the State University.
Malam Yusuf mentioned some of the demands of the Union which includes full Implementation of funding modality of the University, the State Government should not allow the University at the mercy of TETFUND and embark on constructions of hostels, Staff quarters, cafeterias, road network, staff development and funding of research and payment of earned academic allowance.
The Chairman explained the State University is established by an act of the State Assembly and the funding modality is therein clearly defined, hence the need of the Assembly to ensure that the law it established is fully implemented.
He assured that with the intervention of the State House of Assembly, the Union will have no reason to embark on internal strike if they see improvement toward the implementation of the resolutions of the meeting.
The meeting was attended by leadership of Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, Bauchi State University Branch, Vice Chancellor of the University Professor Auwalu Uba, Chairman House Committee on Education Hon. Babayo Muhammad, Permanent Secretary Bauchi State Ministry of Education, Director Higher Education Bauchi State Ministry of Education and Members of the House Committee on Education.
