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Sent in: Campus Investigative Reporter
The Students Union Government, SUG, of Kogi State University has been fingered in complicity over the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Kogi State Chapter. Social media reports and investigations from our sources gave insight into SUG’s role in the ongoing strike.
Background
The protracted industrial action by ASUU, Kogi State Chapter, would be three months old on the 14th of July, 2016. The Union embarked on strike on the 14th of April, 2016, after its 21 days ultimatum to the government to clear its five (5) months salary backlog and other demands made by the academic staff body elapsed. The Kogi State Government was unable to pay the salaries of its 39,000 civil service strength after the crash in oil prices from mid-2015. In the face of dwindling oil prices and economic recession, the administration of former Gov. Idris Ichalla Wada, accumulated huge debt in civil-wage-bill of workers’ salaries, while most of the workers were paid in percentages, proportionate to the monthly allocation which was pegged around 1.7BN(curret) from almost 4.5BN(Past, 2014/15) in the economic hay-days. The current wagebill is about 2.8BN while the total accruable funds to state coffers inclusive of Internally Generated Revenue( IGR), which stands at N600m is summatively 2.5BN.
The protracted industrial action by ASUU, Kogi State Chapter, would be three months old on the 14th of July, 2016. The Union embarked on strike on the 14th of April, 2016, after its 21 days ultimatum to the government to clear its five (5) months salary backlog and other demands made by the academic staff body elapsed. The Kogi State Government was unable to pay the salaries of its 39,000 civil service strength after the crash in oil prices from mid-2015. In the face of dwindling oil prices and economic recession, the administration of former Gov. Idris Ichalla Wada, accumulated huge debt in civil-wage-bill of workers’ salaries, while most of the workers were paid in percentages, proportionate to the monthly allocation which was pegged around 1.7BN(curret) from almost 4.5BN(Past, 2014/15) in the economic hay-days. The current wagebill is about 2.8BN while the total accruable funds to state coffers inclusive of Internally Generated Revenue( IGR), which stands at N600m is summatively 2.5BN.
The current Governor of the State, His Excellency, Yahaya Adoza Bello was sworn in on the 27th of January, 2016, on his party’s nomination, All Progressives Congress (APC), after its chief flag bearer, Prince Abubakar Audu was pronounced dead after defeating incumbent Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Idris Wada by unannounced margin. The new Governor inherited the debts owed to all civil servants in the state. The administration of Governor Wada had earlier applied for bailout funds to the tune of 50.4BN to clear salary arrears and pensioners before he left office. Governor Bello reapplied for the funds, which was approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria, with 20BN disbursed to the state Government as first tranche, a loan to be repaid by State Government with the CBN standing as Guarantor for Government for any commercial bank willing to provide the loan facilities.
ASUU’ Demands
The ASUU body, Kogi State Chapter pressed down for the prioritization of the payment of salaries owed its union by embarking on industrial action barely two months after the Governor assumed office. Part of ASUU’s demand are: (i) Payment of 5 months salary backlog (ii) PAYEE and TAX rebate (waiver) from their salaries which was introduced by the past administration.
The ASUU body, Kogi State Chapter pressed down for the prioritization of the payment of salaries owed its union by embarking on industrial action barely two months after the Governor assumed office. Part of ASUU’s demand are: (i) Payment of 5 months salary backlog (ii) PAYEE and TAX rebate (waiver) from their salaries which was introduced by the past administration.
The Government and ASUU went on negotiation table and emerged with an undisclosed agreement which saw the government paying for 4 months out of the 5 months of salary arrears owed the academic staff after series of delays which the Government blamed on the ongoing Workers’ Screening which the Government revealed that about 9000 ghost workers have been discovered.
However, in an insistent stand, ASUU refused to call of the strike in agitation for the outstanding of month, PAYEE TAX Waiver, along with a contractual commitment to pay workers salary before the 7th of every month.
In the heat of this elephant struggle, an academic staff who wishes not to be named during our investigation, opined that, “Sentiments have crawled into the process.
The polity is being heated for party and ethnic reasons as it concerns the industrial action. My colleagues are hell bent on their arrears while the Government is also seeing that as an injustice as this administration did not accumulate the debt but only inherited it. The Government through the Commissioner of Education also sent in a letter threatening a “No work No Pay” clause which we all found insulting during the congress. We are a crop of intelligentsia, composed of Professors, PhD holders and scholars of high repute. We deserve some respect from a young Governor and his team”, he said.
SUG’s Role
The Students Union Government, (SUG) Kogi State Chapter, led by Comrade Philip Omepa Shaibu, according to our investigation shows that his office has been involved in the process between the Schools’ Management, ASUU and the Government. Several messages sent from his office through his Facebook Account (Philip Shaibu), chronicles the part played so far by the Students’ body. In most of his messages, he sued for calm amongst the students, opining that protests as it’s being called from different quarters might not be a solution from the face-off between ASUU and the State Government, as other institutions have been shut-down due to Aluta struggle.
The Students Union Government, (SUG) Kogi State Chapter, led by Comrade Philip Omepa Shaibu, according to our investigation shows that his office has been involved in the process between the Schools’ Management, ASUU and the Government. Several messages sent from his office through his Facebook Account (Philip Shaibu), chronicles the part played so far by the Students’ body. In most of his messages, he sued for calm amongst the students, opining that protests as it’s being called from different quarters might not be a solution from the face-off between ASUU and the State Government, as other institutions have been shut-down due to Aluta struggle.
His current message on Facebook after a joint stakeholders meeting by Government and its relevant stakeholders on the Current Financial Position of the State, which had ASUU representatives, Students Bodies reads: “The student’s leadership under the aegis of NAKOSS (NATIONAL SECRETARIAT) asked the governor to apologies to ASUU for threatening to sack them. The governor stated that he received 40% of the bailout and he gave out to ASUU 80% of the debt owed and that even the debt was not owed by his administration. But the questions bothering my heart for long is that: he cannot inherit debt comfortably but he can inherit votes. The governor also refused to apologise stating that if you don’t work you will not be paid and that you’ll be sacked. While making comments on this some persons within the crowd were shouting “sack them”. And the SUG/NAKOSS president who represented the students attacked those shouting sack them and replied the governor that all we want is dialogue but after the faceoff between us and the Yahaya Bello’s supporters, they sent us out of the glass house. We were embarrassed just because we asked for our right to education.”
In reaction to this message, another E-Reporters Journalist, Williams Oluwatoyin who took to his facebook page, said: “They (SUG/NAKOSS) sat right behind me and Asedamedia Baiye they were insulting, cursing distractions, threatening people seated around them. They were two in number and I can still identify them if I see them. They were constituting nuisance and it was obvious they came with the ASUU president, who often time communicated with these guys with looks. When they were creating attention and scene, they had to be escorted out of the hall.”
Another poster Bukundi Isaac on Omepa’ wall said: “Fighting a ruling leader is not force but logic and diligence, guys should apply wisdom. Not forgetting if two elephant fight the ground will surely suffer.”
In retrospect, our learnings from following the events show a widespread condemnation of the Student Union Body as being “Incompetent and Compromised” by many students who have reacted towards the SUG.
A final year student of the same institution emailed our reporter accusing the student body of compromising on both ends. He attached a photographic evidence which contains a cheque of N400, 000 with “Govt. House” origination showing clearly, issued in favour of one Ogori Emmanuel Cosmos who is the Public Relations Officer (P.R.O) of the KSU SUG arm.
Our reporter verified the said evidence on the PRO’s wall (COSMOS), which was posted on the 3rd of July, 2016, with the caption “Good things following me, #newmonth”. Attempts to verify from him at the time of filing this report proved abortive as his page has witnessed no activity for more than 72hours.
Further investigation from a source who wishes not to be named, a student who is well informed on the ongoing face-off between ASUU and the Government has this to say about the SUG.
“Personally, they (SUG/NAKOSS) had almost turned themselves to regular visitors to Lugard House under the guise of seeking solutions to the strike, until they were embarrassed and sent parking by the Wife to the Deputy Governor of the state who obviously was not pleased with their approaches in his husband’s office.
I grew up to know how students’ unions press home their rights in any academic crisis, but the steps taken thus far by ours have proven that we have lost it.
He further said: “Following a press release by both unions, we were so geared up for a massive protest in Anyigba and another one in Lokoja to make the world hear us, but it became evident that our representatives compromised, and the said protest never saw the light of the day. Now they want to hide under the banner of NANS. Now we saw a cheque being circulated on Social Media from one of the SUG’ Excos and we are asking, How, When, Where and From Who did he get a Government House Cheque in the heat of this malady, is he a Government Contractor?”
Another source said: “After Government gave two buses to National Association of Kogi State Students, NAKOSS, about two weeks ago, the President of KSU chapter Comrade Abdulhadi Abdulmalik has gone deaf and dumb. We also heard SUG must have compromised on the side of ASUU as well”.
For most Kogi State University Students, which is to be renamed Prince Abubakar Audu University, PAAU, to honor the late Governor, it is the case of them being the “grass” as two elephants are at war.
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