Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) across the country are saying Nigerian universities were not ready for safe reopening.
The chapters of the union, in separate interviews with The PUNCH, commented on the directive of the National Universities Commission (NUC) that universities could resume on January 18, but must adhere to COVID-19 protocols in hostels and lecture halls.
However, ASUU said although its members were ready to start work, government had not put measures in place for safe reopening of the schools.
ASUU’s concern came amid coronavirus cases and deaths, which rose to 99,063 and 1,350 respectively on Saturday.
Dr Adeola Egbedokun, the union Chairman at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State, in an interview with The Punch, said classroom and hostel situations in universities did not in any way conform with COVID-19 protocols.
Egbedokun further said no preparations had been made so far for the safe re-opening of the universities and urged parents to insist on safety before re-opening.
“COVID-19 is very real and this second wave is as real as described. We cannot afford to toy with our health and the health of our dear students in the name of resumption, which is politically motivated.
“There are no preparations for safe re-opening of the universities and I think parents must insist on safe re-opening. The current classroom and hostel configurations in our universities do not in any way conform with the PTF (Presidential Task Force) on COVID-19 protocols. There is no way universities can achieve that. I have said this elsewhere, that rather than for government to have addressed the obvious deficits in the public universities during the lockdown and strike, they were playing to the gallery,” he said
However, OAU, through its Spokesperson, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said the university management was ready for resumption and had put in place “a lot in relation to the COVID-19 protocols” in a bid to ensure safety.
In Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, ASUU said the university was not ready to cope with COVID-19 challenges.
Dr Adebayo Oni, the Chairman of ASUU-FUNAAB, in an interview, stated, there are no facilities in place in the institution as regards Covid-19 protocols.
“The lectures halls are overcrowded. As of today, in my own campus, I have not seen any facility for hand washing. Who is to provide sanitisers? Do you expect lecturers to provide sanitisers for themselves?
“Fumigation of the environment from time to time should be done, How do you cope with students surge and the challenge of power supply ?”
Oni said the union had observed that conducting physical lectures with students would be more disastrous.
He described as alarming, figure of COVID-19.
“It is definitely a threat to the resumption of academic activities.
“The fact is that under this circumstance and looking at the threat of the figure, going physical with students would be more disastrous. Conducting physical session, physical lectures with students would be more disastrous.
“The truth of the matter is that we now propose a mixed model of online teaching and probably some level of physical teachings.
“Even the online teaching also comes with its own facilities which are not readily available.
“We don’t want to be pessimistic to say that it is not going to be workable. However , it is going to be at the risk of our lives and the lives of our students if the required facilities are not provided by the government.
“The truth is that the facilities to cope with the pandemic are not available in our institutions. It appears the government is not ready and our institutions are not helpful.”
Also, Dr Musa Babayo, the Chairman of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) branch of ASUU, in a text message chat with The Punch, said that the government and institutions did not show any sign of seriousness in handling COVID-19 issues when the union was on strike.
He said that ASUU in the ATBU had yet to see any tangible improvement in students’ hostel accommodation, classrooms and other things needed for COVID-19 protocols.
Babayo said that if the Federal Government had released funds to universities, proper arrangements for the protocols would have been made by the institutions.
“The coast is now very clear since has ASUU suspended its strike and it has gone further to show how government and institutions are not serious in the handling universities, particularly the issues of COVID-19.Minimum wage: Ibadan poly workers begin indefinite strike
