26th May, 2009
PRESS STATEMENT

CHALLENGES ON LABOUR ISSUES IN THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND MANAGEMENT’S INABILITY TO ADDRESS THEM

 Resumption Of Strike In The 104

Federal Government Colleges

It has become imperative to draw the attention of the general public to the unfriendly labour practices by the Federal Ministry of Education designed to plunge the 104 Federal Government Colleges into total chaos.

2.  On 7^th January 2006, members of this Union in the Unity Schools embarked on strike after the 30 days ultimatum given to the Federal Ministry of Education to address the subsisting labour issues stated hereunder expired:

(a)      Plan to cede the 104 Unity Colleges to state governments and or to private individuals and the consequent non-admission of students into JSS I classes even though Common Entrance Examination was conducted for about 64,000 candidates who also attended oral interviews.

(b)      Mass posting of about 3,000 staff without any financial provision for them as contained in the Public Service Rules.

(c)      Posting of Union Officials before completing their tenure in breach of an earlier agreement reached in 2006.

(d)      Rejection of staff posted by Headquarters by some Principals thereby inflicting unnecessary financial burden on the affected staff.

(e)      Non payment of 15% salary increase to staff in the 104 Unity Colleges as was done to those in the Headquarters, Abuja.

(f)        Non payment of arrears of promotion for the past three years to affected officers.

(g)      The need to revisit the cases of officers whose salaries/allowances were stopped abruptly without following due process.

(h)      Refusal of the Federal Civil Service Commission to interview officers who fall within the field of selection on GL 14-16 from the Federal Ministry of Education

3.  While the strike was on, the newly appointed Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Sam Egwu, invited the Union leadership to a meeting on 13^th January 2009 and pleaded that he should be given time to study the situation.  The strike was suspended. On 22^nd January 2009, the meeting reconvened with the Minister of State, Hajiya Aishatu Jibril Dukku presiding. The issues in dispute were accordingly resolved and 31^st March 2009 was set as deadline for implementation.

4.  As we write, none of the issues in the Agreement has been acted upon two months after the deadline for implementation and all efforts by the Union to meet with the Management of the Federal Ministry of Education have been rebuffed.

5.  Meanwhile, the Honourable Minister of Education set up a Committee headed by Senator (Prof) Jonathan Zwingina to evaluate the Unity Schools and make recommendations.  In its report, the Panel regretted that some stakeholders see the maintenance of the Colleges as expensive and wasteful and, therefore, should be privatized.  It emphasized that:

 “The fact is that national integration is so important that we cannot place a limit to the cost of sustaining it.  Those complaining about the cost of national integration should reflect on the comparative cost of national disintegration.  Presently, the institutions sustaining integration in Nigeria are the NYSC, the Federal Unity Colleges, Federal Departments and agencies who have staff all over the country.  We should therefore not take this effort for granted but must continue to sustain and encourage their growth and expansion.”

6.  On the need for JSS I classes to resume, the Committee recommended as follows:

“A most important disruption in the programme of Federal Unity Colleges is the recent disarticulation introduced into the system by removing the JS components in the college. The period covered by the SS component is not long and deep enough to inculcate a model culture.  Students who have formed bad habits in JS 1-3 cannot be reformed in the SS classes.  They may indeed act as pollutants to other students in the college.  We have therefore proposed that the JS 1-3 component be returned to the Unity Colleges with effect from September 2009.  The JS 1-3 component in the Airforce, Army and Police Colleges have not revealed any disadvantages so the Federal Unity Colleges should not be left out.”

7.  Speaking on contract scams in the Federal Government Colleges, the Panel noted that contracts worth about N5.11 billion were abandoned in the Colleges after partial or full payments might have been made without the knowledge of the Principals.  It stated further that:

“There were several irregularities uncovered by our Committee members during our assessment visit.  These included abandoned contracts after full or partial payments, multiple contracts awarded to some contractors, lumped contracts with lumped amounts without specifications, split contracts involving three or more contractors undertaking different aspects of the same job, and supply contracts on items not requested or needed by some Colleges.  There were outright cases of likely fraud where contracts were awarded for jobs already completed or contractors paid for jobs not completed or not done at all.  Some contractors got paid without visiting their sites.  The Committee has recommended that the cases that appear fraudulent should be referred to the EFCC for further investigation, recovery of funds and prosecution while genuine contractors should be allowed to return to site and that those who have completed their jobs should be paid.”

8.  It is common knowledge that apart from the Zwingina panel, parents/teachers associations in the Unity Schools, students, civil society groups, conscientious prominent citizens, trade unions, religious groups and their leaders all support the continued existence of the Unity Schools.  What is baffling, therefore, is what Government stands to gain by handing over these national monuments to a handful of parasitic cartels whose thrall for wealth is insatiable.

9.  In view of the foregoing, the strike suspended on 12^th January 2009 is hereby resumed. Parents and guardians are advised to withdraw their children and wards from the 104 Federal Government Colleges immediately since the Colleges will be closed down from Tuesday, May 26 2009.

10.  Unit executives in the Federal Government Colleges and State Secretaries are directed to act accordingly.

 SOLOMON A. ONAGHINON ESQ.
        Secretary-General