TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 CAUSES OF ASUU STRIKE
2.2 THE EFFECT OF ASUU STRIKE
2.3 MANAGEMENT OF ASUU STRIKE
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN
3.3 POPULATION OF THE STUDY
3.4 SAMPLING DESIGN AND PROCEDURE
3.4 DATA AND COLLECTION OF INSTRUMENT
3.5 ADMINISTRATION OF DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT
3.6 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 DATA PRESENTATION
4.2 DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH QUESTION
4.3 TESTING OF HYPOTHESIS
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
5.2 CONCLUSION
5.3 RECOMMENDATION
REFERENCES
QUESTIONNAIRE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Since colonial period, Nigeria labor market has witnessed many industrial conflicts between the major actors: Management and the employees. In most cases, it is as a result of conflict of interests as regards wages and working conditions. Wogu & Doublegist, (2013) highlights major industrial disputes experienced in Nigeria starting from 1912. In 1929 an attempt to introduce direct taxation in Eastern Nigeria sparked off the historic Aba women’s Riot. In 1938 the agitation of rail workers for good working conditions gave rise to the industrial action of 1938. In 1941, the Civil Service Union in collaboration with the Nigerian Union of Railway Men began the agitation for a cost of
Living allowance which was then known as war bonus after the Second World War. Wogu (1969:44) further stresses that the general strike of 1945 was one of the most important events in the Nigerian labour history with the exception of Iva valley shooting incident of 1949, and the general strike of 1964. The immediate cause of the1945 strike was the unwillingness of the colonial regime to honor its pledges to workers. On June 21, 1947 there was abrutal shooting by the police on the defenseless UAC (United African Company) employees in Burutu, which led them to strike in furtherance of a wage demand. Two years later, in November 18th, 1949 there was also brutal
Shooting of the striking coal miners at Iva Valley Coal Mine who were agitating for an improved working conditions and the inhuman treatment of the local miners by the colonial government. About 21 miners were killed and many of them injured. Wogu (1969) referred to the event as Enugu Blood Bath. Progressively, on December 14, 1950 the workers embarked on strike demanding for a cost of living allowance. Nine years later precisely on January, 1959 the Airways Workers Union organized a strike over a wage claim and improved conditions of employment. To beat the strike, the management promised to offer ten pounds to any worker who fails to join the strike.
One thing that stands out is the fact that despite all these vicious attack on the trade union organizations, the unions always come out of it due to workers fight back. This confirms the fact that no power on earth can destroy the revolutionary will of the working class. We saw this in the 1981 general strike over the minimum wage and pension led by comrade Hassan Adebayo. Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was formed in 1978, a successor to the National Association of University Teachers formed in 1965 and covering academic staff in all of the Federal and State Universities in the country. The union was active in struggles against the military regime during the 1980s.
In 1988 the union organized a National Strike to obtain fair wages and university autonomy. As a result, the ASUU was proscribed on 7 August 1988 and all its property seized. It was allowed to resume in 1990, but after another strike was again banned on 23 August 1992 (Nwala, 1994).
In 1994 and 1996 during the regime of late Sani Abacha, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) carried out an industrial action throughout the federation which lasted for more than one year over good working conditions and dismissal of staff. Also in 1999, when Obasanjo came into power as a civilian president, ASUU went on a nation-wide strike which lasted for five months before it was called off. In 2001 also, ASUU went on strike which lasted for three months old.
Also in 2002 ASUU also embarked on six months old strike action over the better working conditions (Doublegist, 2013). Similarly, in 2009 the ASUU also embarked on six months old strike demanding for a revised salary structure and better working conditions. In 2010, the academic staff union of universities in the south east states of Nigeria embarked on five months strike over the non-implementation of the 2009 FG-ASUU agreement. On August, 2011, the Nigeria Labour Congress also embarked on nationwide warning strike over the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage by the federal government as promised by the President, Goodluck Jonathan during his campaign. On June, 2013, ASUU also embarked on national strike which lasted up to eight to nine months on the ground that the 2009 FG-ASUU agreement and revitalization of universities with 1.3 trillion naira over a period of six years has not being fulfilled as earlier promised. However, considering the past history of Nigerian industrial relations, one may conclude that industrial conflict is a dominant factor in the Nigerian Labour Relations (Doublegist, 2013).
Also the ASUU strike which drew to the election period commenced on November, 5 over the lingering demands which based on agreement reached with government 2009.The 95 days Strike was called due to the following demand that the federal government will meet behalf of the ASUU include;
· In addition to the N20 billion for 2018, the sum of N25 billion only would be released in April/May 2019, after which government would resume full implementation of the MoU of 2013.
· Part-payment of the outstanding arrears of the earned academic allowances; defraying the balance up to 2018 in 4 tranches within 36 months; and mainstreaming further payments of EAA into the annual budgets beginning from 2019 budget.
· PICA verification and the release of the arrears of salary shortfall at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, not later than 15th February 2019.
· Strengthening the Consultative Committee on State-owned Universities (CCSOU), inaugurated on Monday, 28th January, 2019 to look into the issues of proliferation, underfunding and governance to consistently deliver on its mandate.
· Payment of the outstanding EAA arrears of all eligible staff in the University of Ilorin, especially the loyal ASUU members whose appointments were illegally terminated by today, 7th February, 2019.
· Acknowledgement and appreciation of Government for facilitating the release of the final letter of approval for the granting of operational license to NUPEMCO.
· Visitation to all Federal Universities would commence tentatively by 11th March, 2019.
However, part of the reasons why the Federal Government took the ASUU strike was the usefulness of the student, most especially the NYSC student in the Election process. They are being used as ad-hoc staff. This study intends to investigate the effect of ASUU strike on the 2019 general election in Nigeria.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Academic activities have been ruptured again in the country’s universities since last week, as the Academic Staff Union of Universities resumed its strike over epileptic funding. The ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi, said the resort to strike was based on the realization that the government was trifling with the union (The Citizen, 2018). The effect of the action, no doubt, will be telling on the students. But all the stakeholders should appreciate the union’s struggle as one for the common good.
Since the 1990s, the drive for improved funding of universities has been an inexorable part of their existence. The latest unease is rooted in the Federal Government’s infidelity to the 2009 agreement, which it entered into with the union. The pact entails the release of N1.3 trillion to universities to reverse their present state of decay. There are also non-financial demands, out of which raising the retirement age of professors from 65 to 70 and a special Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure have since been implemented (The Citizen, 2018).
However, the government has been foot-dragging on the implementation of the financial aspect, renegotiated in 2013. The deal stipulated N220 billion annual funding of universities after the first instalment of N200 billion had been released. The battle began with the Umaru Yar’Adua administration, which could not do more than the release of N23 billion for the payment of arrears of Earned Academic Allowances for 2009 and 2010. The Goodluck Jonathan government, which renegotiated the pact, made the first payment of N200 billion in the wake of the 2013 strike that spanned six weeks. That was all it did until its tenure expired in 2015.
The Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday raised the alarm that the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities would affect its preparations for the 2019 elections. ASUU, had on November 5, 2018 begun an indefinite strike over the failure of the Federal Government to implement three areas in the Memorandum of Action it signed with the union on September 14, 2017. The lecturers’ grouse with the Federal Government included its failure to carry out the Forensic Audit of the earned academic allowances of the lecturers since 2017 and the payment of N20bn out of an agreed N220bn annually and underfunding of the public universities (Olusola, Olalekan, Friday & Olaleye, 2018).
Briefing journalists before ASUU started the ongoing strike on November 5, its National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said all entreaties made to the Federal Government to honour the agreement with the union fell on deaf ears and they had no alternative but to begin the strike.
Ogunyemi alleged that the government was not interested in public universities as the children of the top politicians and rich men in the society patronise private universities at the detriment of public institutions. Both sides have met four times without resolving the crisis, thus forcing students of public universities, who constitute the majority of INEC ad hoc staff during elections, to stay at home.
On Thursday, a National Commissioner for INEC and Chairman of its Information and other Education Committee, Festus Okoye, expressed concerns about the effect of the ASUU strike on the 2019 elections during the opening of a one-day seminar on media gender sensitive reporting.
The event, which was organised by INEC, was supported by the United Nations Women and the Canadian Government (Olusola, Olalekan, Friday & Olaleye, 2018). The commission said that it would deploy over one million ad hoc staff made up of lecturers in federal tertiary institutions, members of the National Youth Service Corps and students of federal tertiary institutions in the elections. The categories of ad hoc staff to be used during next year’s elections would serve as Returning Officers, Collation Officers, Supervisory Presiding Officers, and Assistant Presiding Officers. But Okoye expressed fear that the elections could be impacted negatively if the strike was not urgently called off.
He said, “It is next to impossibility for members of the NYSC to provide all the ad hoc staff needs and requirements of the commission, and over 70 per cent of the ad hoc staff requirement in some states of the federation are drawn from students of federal tertiary institutions.
“Hence, the lingering strike by ASUU will no doubt have serious impact on the preparations for the conduct of the 2019 elections. We therefore call on ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria to quickly and genuinely resolve the lingering impasse that has led to uncertainty in the education sector.
“The national interest, the interest of our democracy and the reputation of Nigeria demand the immediate resolution of the issues that led to the strike and we so urge (Olusola, Olalekan, Friday & Olaleye, 2018).
“It is important that students in federal tertiary institutions should and must be in school at least a month before the February 16 Presidential and National Assembly elections. They are a critical resource and their absence will have adverse effects on the ad hoc requirements of INEC.”
According to him, INEC believes in the doctrine of not leaving any segment of the Nigerian society behind.
Okoye said the workshop was part of the deliberate policies of the commission aimed at encouraging and underpinning the equitable participation of all segments of the society in elections and providing a level playing field for all stakeholders in all stages of the electoral process.
“Therefore, any form of misrepresentation, mistake or mischief in reporting electoral matters may lead to uncertainty, constitutional crisis, and de-marketing of INEC,”he stressed.
The Chairman, Outreach and Partnership Committee in INEC, Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola, said the seminar was organised to brainstorm on new ways to use the media to promote gender equality in the electoral process.
He said INEC understood the indisputable role of the media in setting and resetting the mindset of electorate to make the 2019 elections more gender sensitive.
Ogunmola said that beyond the freedom to vote and adherence to electoral laws, a free and fair election was also about a participatory process where voters were well informed to make right choices. He added that the media would serve this role through objective and impartial reporting of political events which help to shape public opinion and deepen democracy. Ogunmola urged the media to plan content that would support gender in their reportage of the electoral process to ensure inclusiveness Olusola, Olalekan, Friday & Olaleye, 2018). Based on the different plea of the INEC chairman this study want to give a vivid justification to mirror out the effect of ASUU strike on the 2019 general election.
1.3 Objective of the Study
1. To investigate if ASUU Strike affected 2019 general election in Nigeria
2. To investigate how the ASUU Strike affect Ad-hoc Staff requirement in the 2019 general election.
1.4 Research Question
1. What effect does ASUU Strike have on 2019 general election in Nigeria
2. What effect does ASUU Strike have of the Ad-hoc Staff requirement in the 2019 general election
1.5 Research Hypotheses
H0= ASUU Strike has no effect on 2019 general election in Nigeria
H1= ASUU Strike has effect on 2019 general election in Nigeria
1.6 Significance of the Study
This following stakeholder will benefit from the findings of the study which include; INEC, University lecturers and Students
INEC officials will from the findings be informed of the other strategies they can implore to aid the staff requirement during election period and not over depend on the NYSC student for ad-hoc staff
University lecturer will from the findings of the study have a clearer picture of the effect of their indefinite action, on the general election period
Students will be aware of the relevance that is put on them in attaining success in the 2019 general election process
1.7 Definition of terms
Strike: This can be defined as the rejection of work by a group of employee when demands concerning their job is not meet by the employer’s
General Election: This is holistic voting period in a state, that consist of voting in all principal officers into political power