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“A nation that is not given to reflection, that does not take stock of its past activities and not inspired by its aspiration and hope for the future cannot realistically plan for its greatness.”
—Fidel Castro
By Daniel Kanu
Despite the strong objection from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on the pro-rata October salary payment, the Federal Government has reaffirmed its stand that the lecturers would not be paid for work they did not do.
The Federal Government reinstated its position on Wednesday, November 16, through the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu while responding to questions from State House Correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
It would be recalled that on February 14, this year, public universities in the country , with exception of a few state universities, were shutdown by ASUU to press home its demand for the renegotiation of the ASUU/FGN 2009 agreement, including deployment of UTAS to replace IPPIS , the release of the reports of Visitation Panels to federal universities, adequate funding and revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances, poor funding of state universities and promotion arrears, among others.
The eight-month-long strike was, however, suspended on the back of rulings by the National Industrial Court (NIC) and the Court of Appeal earlier in October that ordered the recalcitrant striking academics to go back to the classrooms, pending the determination of a substantive suit the Federal Government instituted against the union.
Following the union’s announcement on October 14, ASUU suspended the strike and academic activities resumed despite some of the unresolved issues.
Before Adamu’s latest pronouncement that there is no going back on government’s decision, there were earlier hints that the Federal Government might reconsider its position, which raised some hope of resolving the lingering impasse quicker.
The statement by Adamu on ‘no work, no pay’ stance of the Federal Government may likely pose another blow to ASUU as they are presently perfecting plans for a work-free day .
No doubt, the position of the FG may not likely go down well with ASUU, but this is the time ASUU needs to be extra-careful, going forward in taking decisions. Already, their public sympathy has diminished if not totally eroded.
ASUU’s prolonged strike further diminished the public image of Nigeria’s education system on which they seek improvement.
As reports have indicated, the toll on the country’s human capital is very huge with both younger academics and students from middle class families leaving the country in droves.
The truth is that there is no way we can discuss Nigeria’s path to its present piteous state without mentioning the ignominious role of its successive leaders.
Chinua Achebe, on “The trouble with Nigeria”, captured it succinctly, that “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely the failure of leadership.”
The Nigerian problem has remained the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to responsibilities, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmark of true leadership.
Nigeria has had this extractive elite over the years. A parasitic, political and economic class and for them what matters is what they derive from the system, not what they add to it. In doing this, they hold the people down in every sector, incapacitate them and make them beholden to them in a master-servant relationship.
This has been the mentality of government, past and present, acting with impunity.
Experts say the present imbroglio between ASUU/FG arose simply from egoistic power-play between two divisions of the elite that grossly undermines the common good and, secondly from the lack of political will to manage trade disputes.
The weight of the culpability should have rested more on the Federal Government, but ASUU has continued to receive more bashing because they should have known when to stop and count their losses.
ASUU is expected to be more innovative about expressing its position, knowing when to stop to re-strategize for another day.
There is serious need for ASUU to be more conscious and watch the perception out there that they are only using the revitalisation of the university system as a decoy to attract sympathy.
Parents are lamenting over huge losses , students are in dilemma with cramped up studies that are not well structured to create any reasonable impact due to long wasted months. Already there is confusion in lectures and management of the 2020/21 intake.
The impact of the closure is colossal.
It’s time for ASUU to perhaps, purge itself of this perceived pretentious infallibility and earn its status as both a resource for intellectual human capital and a moral force by ensuring that its members exercise the noblest degree of self-restraint in relations with the political class.
ASUU may have all the good reasons for going on strike, but they must now apply wisdom, consider the government they are dealing with, a government that does not honour its own agreement.
So far, ASUU’s argument no longer appeal to most Nigerians because on the balance sheet, the cost of shutting down the higher institutions of learning outweighs the gains.
This is the challenge before the ASUU leadership and its President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodoke.
Adamu Adamu is only a messenger, an establishment agent and has spoken the voice of the government.
Of course, Adamu and the government he represents also failed to live up to expectations; so, it is time for ASUU to have a rethink so as not to squander the last reserve of public sympathy available for the teachers.
Mallam Adamu Adamu was born on May 25, 1956 in Azare, Katagum Local Government Area, Bauchi State.
He graduated from Ahmadu Bello University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
After graduation from the university, Adamu worked briefly before venturing into journalism where he rose through the ranks to become Deputy Editor of now-defunct New Nigerian newspaper.
He was appointed Minister of Education by President Buhari on November 2015, when the president made his first major appointments and was subsequently re-appointed.
