Today,
it is clearly obvious that Nigerians have developed an unusual likeness
for supplements. Every day, you either here of a supplementary this or
supplementary that. If it is not the presidency sending another budget
to supplement the one it had earlier sent to the National Assembly,….
For most of us Nigerians living in the country including foreigners
who are vexed in Nigeria’s political culture, that joke about our
President telling the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to
set up a committee with a charge to look into the issue of too many
existing committees in the country, is merely stating the obvious. That
is Nigeria for you. Our ways are quite unique to us.
For instance, it is common-place to see our motorists freely making
N20 donations to policemen at every checkpoint. Or, don’t you enjoy it
when you’re asked at the police station to settle counter after trekking
there to report a robbery incident that happened in your house the
previous night where you lost all your valuables?
If you’re already wondering how all these connect to the title of
this article, it doesn’t. They’re just meant to get you to begin to
reason along with me as a fellow Nigerian, because I am very sure at the
end of your reading, you’ll definitely join me in begging ASUU not to
embark in some supplementary strike after this long tiring one, as
Nigerians have the penchant for abusing laid down patterns.
By way of definition, a supplement will make more sense to you if you
can take your mind back to the last time you ate out in a local joint.
That extra plate half the price of the original meal you ask for,
probably because the food taste so good or you just needed to fill your
stomach, is an example of a supplement.
Today, it is clearly obvious that Nigerians have developed an
unusual likeness for supplements. Every day, you either here of a
supplementary this or supplementary that. If it is not the presidency
sending another budget to supplement the one it had earlier sent to the
National Assembly, it will be our universities giving supplementary
admission to some few special candidates after it has announced closure
of all admission.
Recently however, the issue of supplement was taken over the board
when INEC, in line with our culture of adding extras, declared its
final decision to conduct a supplementary election in Anambra state to
add to the number of results they have already collated despite the
complaints made by the governorship candidates of PDP, the APC, Labour
party, public analysts, as well as a cross section of Anambra women who
protested to the state headquarters of INEC that the Nov. 16
governorship elections in the state be cancelled for failing to meet set
standards.
Even though you consider the Anambra electoral imbroglio as none of
your business since you are not an Anambrarian or not interested in
Nigerian political discuss, you certainly must be worried about the four
months old ASUU strike which despite the several meetings the federal
government has had with the leadership of the Union and the show of
commitment by President Goodluck Jonathan to see that students and
lecturers return to classes, it appears from an insider source, the
Union is poised at embarking on further supplementary strikes.
Making this disclosure is no other person than the faction leader of
ASUU, UNILAG branch, Dr. Adeyemi Daramola, who alleged that ASUU
leadership has perfected plans to end the on-going strike by mid-January
2013. As such, even if the Federal Government meet all the demands of
ASUU today, the Union will still pass a resolution to embark on some
weeks of supplementary strike till January just like INEC will be
conducting supplementary elections soon in Anambra state.
If this is true, then we mustn’t blame ASUU leadership who is
merely following Nigeria’s culture of supplementing everything, nor
should we brand the acts of the authorities of EBSU, ESUT, AAUA, UNILAG,
LASU and UNIJOS who are only but mimicking the rebellious attitude of
the new PDP and the G-7 Governors who have announced their defection to
the APC.
