 Welcome back. It's still the breakfast and plus TV Africa to our next conversation this morning our first major conversation Actually, there are indications that despite the insistence of the academic staff union of universities or ASU To continue with its lingering strike the federal government of Nigeria is said to reopen the short universities Yes, according to sources cited by newspapers in particular at the vanguard newspaper It says the federal government through the ministry of education Says the academic staff are not the only set of workers in the university system And since non-academic staff are ready to go back to work the universities should no longer be shut Well, this is just as a meeting of pro-chancellors of the vice and vice-chancellors of federal universities have been invited For a meeting slated next Tuesday at the national university's commission complex in Abuja Also the chairman of governing councils of these federal universities will be at that meeting They are to meet with the minister of education Now we're asking what do these latest developments portend for the lingering ASU strike Which was recently made indefinitely and i'm glad to say joining us this morning on the program Is the chairman of the academic staff union of universities and the university of Abuja Dr. Kasim Umar is his name. Good morning to Dr. Umar and thank you very much for your time Good morning What would you say as a Member of the neck of ASU to this latest movie if there's any truth to it because of course We've not had officially from the ministry of education But what are your thoughts on this this Rumored move to reopen the universities and the meeting That the minister will have with the pro-chancellors the vice-chancellors and the chairman of governing councils Well, um We are not invited to the school And we are not part of the committee of vice-chancellors and the means of education to invite The school-chancellors and the vice-chancellors What is whatever this is your outcome and decision? I don't think that has anything to do with our price Because our our demands have not been attended And you know, you record that our next man On the 28th of August 2022 I would say the decision to Roll over time Okay Let's talk about you. You said that your demands have not been met but uh, the federal government's representative and spokesperson saying that 80 of your request has been met and if you are going to score that that's like an a You know for any subject to an examination Why is ASU still bent on the strike? Well, I will be next met and Analyze A mere statement read by the minister of education on informal meetings Because as we have consigned all these statements in that meeting on the 16th of August 2022 Was just a promising week and two thoughts To our union and even if they take you through You see, I said all our demands Be mentioned by him are all important to note like for instance He did mention a promise that The virtualization form of one and seventy business Will be relieved and it will be included in 2023 projects When they are out of office To also promise that Of the university based workers The billionaire will be a lot easier to meet again To be included in 2020 budget Also 30 000 and 50 000 instruments for salary For salary next round To also to be included in the budget And our union even sees this one as an insult And there He will told him we are rejected Because he does not pass you the collective bargain As stipulated in the national law In fact, let let me tell you that The same federal government set up two committees In fact three committees Babalaki committee 2017 After three years Who will leave the bridge from 2020 2021 again in the bridge committee And all this one negotiated with us and had Excavated agreement Which pass through collective bargaining They just think that And they are coming with this miserable award to our union We reject it and we are told them Number four put us He told us categorically that put us perform well In the case organized by the citizens federal government As and thereby They are accepting that because that we are not going to put it as a documented fact Visitation panel report Is to be released soon It will surprise you that that one does not need money For a relation of Nigeria University It does not involve in us All this we are telling you there's no any documented evidence On how bad they would attempt to all these things And now you're saying 80 percent of our problem has been resolved We are challenging them, let them bring it out to Nigeria And show us where they signed and we signed through a collective bargaining All right, Dr. Umar So you are saying that this talk by the not just the minister of education But other officials that almost all the demands of us who have been acceded to The there's only a small issue of The no work no pay policy of the federal government, which is the sticking point. You're saying that is not true Now a question I have for you, Dr. Umar is If if it turns out the federal government is able to document these agreements concretely Like you'd like them to do and get to the point where All these things are sorted out Will the union be willing to go back to the classroom without receiving the salaries for the months they've been on strike in adherence with the The the labor rules are on no work no pay as they call it Yeah, yeah, in fact, I don't I don't want to provide our take home to the issue of Because To the same Nigeria That we are more concerned about our small salary. In fact, our job is to solve factory jobs So I don't even want to debate on that But the fact is that we are telling you that All the demands put before the government Have not been met to the collective bargaining As enshrined in the law Look, if we look at the historical part of collective bargaining in this country I found back to 1981 That is a federal government has to agreement on that late And I think that I mean it establish the principle of collective bargaining Based on the way this board and it goes back to the number one of And if you look at all the trade dispute act of 1976 ILO convention 1948 1988 1981 and so on Nobody comes and does no paper on you without So if you're giving up you are just announcing You have no past through the process And through this demand of the junior you cannot just be down on the water So Also, let's get to the crux of the conversation. I mean the fact that uh despite The strike they're still ongoing They might just be planned for the federal government to we open short universities We understand that the non-academic staff union. I mean you have the sanno and the nasu You know Calling after strike these are non-academic staff But do you think that this is actually possible? And if it's possible, how can it be? I I first I'm again I am no chairman of non-academic staff I am chairman or I am sitting on asu And uh as far as we were concerned We did not close down the university We ordered we do one aspect of our responsibility Which is speaking And we're still saying We are not going to see No, but the issue is that there are some lecturers according to the reports that are ready to work And so you have the non-academic staff who are also willing to go back, you know to To school so the government is saying that there are some lecturers that are willing to work I'm asking how does this work? How does this happen? You're chairman, you know of the uh You're chairman of asu in the university of abuja, right? And so it's possible that some of your lecturers are willing to go back to class How is this going to happen? Is there a possibility that some lecturers would go back to the classroom? That is mere speculation It is mere speculation We're saying Like for us at your desk of abuja, we have 617 academic staff Who are members of our union? And we are telling you we are on strike And we are withdrawing the service of Teaching And you are saying some members that is speculation Doc, you're saying it's speculation, but I mean I'm sure you're aware Uh, me, you know as we all are that there is a Uh arrival union that is soon coming up Called the congress of Nigerian university academics Or the congress of university academics, whichever you want to call it I'm sure these lecturers are not uh phantom Lecturers or they're not imposters. These are your colleagues in the university system Federal universities in the country. So, um, I mean when you say that it's a mere speculation Can can you speak to this because we we have this group They actually been lobbying for the past four years for the federal government to take the recognition Look I asked you a question. Let me ask you a question Because you have a union Of the same platform the same profession please answer this question in the university To have a union Of an academic staff Then you have another follower in december. Is that you know going to be registered? By law, is that what you think you are at first? Look, I don't want to comment about that Just it seems to me that You see a mere acquisition is saying they are getting they are trying to get their registration And just a member that will exist between So if they feel let them get the Union already registered on their professional register and let us see why I get no cheating Since we embark on strike in 14 of February 2000 and Why are they not teaching if you actually they exist they only exist with new numbers in effect Is it not it's not possible that some of the university workers are just tired of of of this strike? I mean naso is saying they go and go back Sanoh saying they are they are going to go back the government they've agreed with the government And some will say maybe aslo is stretching this a bit too far and when you look at the art of dispute resolution in a conflict resolution sometimes Both parties even the party that is in the right Will have to accede one or two things just to ensure that the conflict is resolved And some may say aslo is stretching this too far bearing in mind that That that your chairman your chair your national president has admitted that The federal may it may be true that they have agreed to to approve The funds for eval with vitalization Also approving the utas and what he's saying that all that is left is that they need to see something on paper You know so so with some of these things being agreed on They've received the report of the nimibrix committee saying they're going to implement it Shouldn't you in good faith call of the strike and say want to give them time to To put this into action look I I have told you You don't come and read just like I said in your living years too far So an academia And you are saying that that is collective bargaining What we are saying we are not telling you that government did not face He wanted to Is going to he promised to pay water and 70 billion for revitalization That we are telling you that there's 20 people Where the why they would not be in power again And again, we are telling you that All this is being said So so far through connected bargaining But but didn't you have an agreement with the nimibrix committee on this on these issues? Thank you very much. That is where we are saying Is that the agreement they work on the answer is no Well, we have to go now, uh, dr. Kashima umar. Thank you so much. We're really out of time But uh, we hope that we'll have some other time to talk about this Thank you very much. Well, what was I speaking with dr. Kashima umar is the chairman Asu in the University of Abuja right there. Thank you so much for your time We take a break when we return. We're hoping that we can continue with the second conversation. Please stay with us