This missive is to appeal to members of Academic Staffs Union of
Universities (ASUU), individually and collectively to consider the
plight of innocent students and their helpless parents and return to
work.
Since July 2nd, 2013 when they declared a “total and indefinite strike”
over issues they claim have remained unresolved pertaining to 2009
agreement, innocent students and their poor parents have been at the
receiving end of the stalemate.
While some government officials are lousy and combatant in their
approach to resolving the faceoff over the strike, it is difficult to
fault their arguments and the statistics they reel out over the level of
government’s intervention and implementation of the contentious 2009
agreement.
It is therefore a welcome development the recent disbursement of N100
billion by the government for the implementation of the first phase
projects listed in the Needs Assessment Report of Universities and
another N30 billion to support Federal university Councils in the
payment of arrears of Earned Allowances to deserving staff.
As I wrote in an article on the problems of public and private
universities in Nigeria in October 2011, the deregulation of education
in Nigeria is a deliberate effort to break government’s monopoly on
education and by allowing the establishment of private universities to
check the incessant strikes by lecturers in public institutions.
I then pointed out that that most of the current leaders attended
public universities that were well-funded. Our leaders, including some
of the current activist-lecturers enjoyed scholarships and crisis-free
academic sessions which unfortunately, the current students could not
enjoy.
While we accuse political leaders of selfishness, there is no
difference between them with some of the lecturers in their seeming
connivance in the promotion of private universities and patronage of
foreign institutions, to the expense of our public universities.
It is regrettable that while attempting to register their grievances
against inadequate funding from the government, ASUU members take some
actions that are inimical to the progress and development of their poor
students. Yet, the flexibility of academic environment with job security
and huge severance packages influence the decision of many lecturers to
remain on the payroll of public universities. We are also aware that
some of the lecturers provide part-time lecturing to the private
universities in the name of private practice (PP), while others would
rather lobby or take political appointments and consultancy jobs than
attend to the needs of their students. Surprisingly too, some professors
are yet to adapt to the new use of information technology. They still
rely on old books and theories of past centuries when the internet
provides the theory of reality and practicability.
We must also blame ASUU for indiscipline and lack of adequate
inspection on the campuses which have caused cultism, drug addiction,
gang rape and other criminalities on campuses. For instance, the
incessant ASUU strikes influence idle students to engage in
prostitution, robbery and kidnapping to earn a living and to occupy
their times. It is therefore not surprising that some of the
institutions are alleged to churn out certificated illiterates who can
barely write their names and place of origin.
Not every parent can afford or willing to send their children to
expensive private universities that widen the social gap between the
rich and the poor. The private institutions, too have their weaknesses
with some of them operating medieval laws that weaken independence and
freedom of expression on the campuses. Like regimented garrisons where
all forms of feudal measures are taken, the private institutions do not
treat their students as adults but pupils in boarding schools who must
observe strict wake-up time and bedtime light-out.
The option of missionary universities also have some challenges.
Instead of making the fees affordable, some of them develop unwritten
house-rules that 'no student will ever fail to graduate because of
spiritual interventions.’ Apart from discriminatory policies against
those that do not believe or practice their faiths, some of them conduct
virginity tests on students upon resumption. While worshippers,
occasionally act as part time lecturers, whose allowances could be paid
‘only in heaven,’ some of the recruited scholars are actually lecturers
from established public universities within their vicinities.
We know that we have crises in our hands and it seems the government
with recent moves have demonstrated willingness to resolve the crisis.
After a recent meeting of key government officials with Vice-Chancellors
and Chairmen of Councils of Public Universities, it was disclosed that
the government had implemented some of the agreements it entered with
the academic staff. These include implementations of the Consolidated
Salary Structure for Academics and non-teaching staff; National Health
Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for staff of universities; Amendment of
Pensionable Retirement Age of Academics in the Professorial cadre as
Professors and Readers now retire at 70 years while others now retire at
65 instead of 60 years.
Government has also provided a counterpart funding of N250 million to
help ASUU meet up with the mandatory deposit required for registration
of Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company (NUPEMCO) while it
continues to assist state universities through the Federal intervention
agencies.
There should be a way to resolve demands pertaining to commercial
ventures, especially the alleged request by ASUU for the transfer of
government landed properties to universities, which government resists
because ASUU has no structure to manage or maintain such property.
While we must call on our policy makers to ensure that our universities
are adequately funded, our lawmakers should enact laws that would
compel lecturers to be responsible to their duties and concentrate on
the job for which they are discriminatorily remunerated. The law should
also compel public officers to send their children to public
institutions where they can relate and compete with other poor students.
Regulatory bodies such as NUC, JAMB, NECO and WAEC should be more
proactive and responsive in monitoring responsibilities so as to ensure
that Nigerian universities comply with international best practices.
by Hauwa Gambo We’re not show on what set this photo was taken, but far
from looking like women, the best we can say for two of the funniest
men in the country from these photos is: Good try for the Tranny Camp,
guys! Owen Gee and Yaw, presenter with Wazobia FM get an A for effort. 
