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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre’s (CISLAC) has reacted to the federal directive, through the National Universities Commission (NUC), that vice chancellors re-open universities and allow students resume lectures.
The order follows the failure of the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resume as ordered by an industrial court last week.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Sun via telephone, CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, who described the move as reckless, said that if it failed under military regime, it will also fail under a democratic dispensation.
“First and foremost, we condemn this reckless and militarised approach to resolving this very important national issue. Even during the military, they did not behave in this manner. And even if they had attempted to do that it didn’t work not to talk of under a democratic dispensation where dialogue should be the best way to resolve the issue,” he said.
According to the CISLAC boss, ASUU is not discussing about personal interests but about resuscitating the collapsed university system in Nigeria, noting that “any reasonable and responsible government official should pay attention to those areas that ASUU is talking about, because ASUU is talking about requipping the laboratories.
“You cannot be producing medical doctors, without them having any practical experience. You cannot be graduating engineers without basic physical skill or knowledge, you cannot run a university without well equipped research centre.
“In the 70s, 80s, 90s, Africans and other international students were coming to Nigerian universities. This time around Nigerians are going to those countries that Nigeria use to receive their students, for example, Ghana, Cameroon, Niger, Benin Republic, Liberia, and even The Gambia to take their children to those schools because of the collapse of the quality of education and university system in Nigeria.
“This is as a result of the mass exodus by competent, qualified, experienced teachers, who could no longer continue to live under the harsh and inhuman condition attached to lecturers, and the university system. So the remaining lectures that are fight and struggling to ensure that education is revitalised in Nigeria, are being persecuted blackmailed, and ambushed by some government officials, who were beneficiaries of the quality and free education in Nigeria.
“Thirdly, no country in the world, will develop without the contribution of the university system. If you look at what is happening in Europe and America, most of the researches are emanating from the university system, whether it is on science, technology, computer, everything is coming from the university. But in our own case, nothing is coming because the government has deliberately underfunded, in fact, not funding university education at all.
“During their own time. They got both local and international scholarships. The got the best of education, but now, because many of them have looted enough to pay their children fees in dollars, pounds and Euro, they don’t want ordinary Nigerians now to be educated. They have subjected Nigerian young people to all sorts of, criminal activities, using them as political thugs, as religious intolerant vanguard, ethnic promoters and all sorts of sentiments that totally negates the existence of the country and making the young people productive. Their energy are not being used positively, but rather to promote all these violence that is going on.
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“Is this what the Nigerian government should be proud of? I think the solution to this lingering crisis is to sit down and respect the various agreements, the Nigerian has reached with ASUU. Any attempt to smuggle some unpatriotic people in the name of so called some members of the academic union to go and register another organisation, it will be tantamount to failure, because the same people who have connivied to undermine the collective struggle of ASUU, will also continue to suffer from the negligent, bastardisation of education in Nigeria. So, the solution is not to balkanise, blackmail ASUU but it is to sit down and do a serious reflection on how our educational system can be revitalised, can be enhanced.
“Government cannot continue to blackmail ASUU for asking for their entitlement, for increase in the welfare so that they can also be able to contribute their quota. The last time government reviewed ASUU’s salary was over over 10 years ago, and everybody knows that what you bought 10 years is different from what you’re buying today. So there’s also legitimacy from ASUU to demand that welfare should also be looked into, apart from the demand for strengthening and improving the quality of the university system, both in terms of physical infrastructure, in terms of facilities, equipment and quality of teaching that is needed.”
Asked why ASUU cannot obey the court order while negotiations continue as suggested by government, Rafsanjani said: “ASUU has already gone on appeal, so the blackmail that some government officials who clearly have interest in promoting private universities some of which are no match in terms of quality in deliverance to public universities, is because many of them are allegedly linked to ownership of some of these universities. So, therefore, they want to, undermine the public education and promote private, commercial education, which many Nigerian parents cannot afford. If they have benefited from the same university system, why can’t they make it possible for other Nigerians to also benefit?
“The other thing that I will also say, is that the solution to addressing the menace of violence and arrest of the young people, is to get them to the classroom in a manner that the teachers are comfortable and happy to teach. You cannot force the students to go to class and teachers to teach. That is the approach that they have been using, and it doesn’t seem to work. Even under the military, it didn’t work. What makes them think that this can work when they have some months to go?
“I think one of the most unfortunate thing that this government has succeeded in doing is leaving bad legacy in the educational sector. And some people who have been benefited through corruption in the system, are the very ones who are instigating and castigating ASUU.
“What I’m saying is that government must stop this militarisation approach and respect agreements.
Asked if the call to President Muhammadu Buhari to seat down with ASUU will end the crisis, the CISLAC boss said: “I think Muhammadu Buhari should, as a matter of urgency, physically and personally, meet with ASUU to address how to resolve with sincerity and honesty, the lingering misunderstanding between them. The misunderstanding which arose as a result of refusal to respect the agreements reached by the government in terms of proper funding of education. It it is not nice, that we are graduating people who cannot defend what they have read.
“The international community will respect the Nigerian president if he can proactively, positively resolved nationals issue. You cannot go and promote your own achievements outside the country, when the citizens back home cannot see any achievement. Who are you promoting? And how can the international community believe you when the citizens are not seeing anything?
“President Buhari just got back to the country from New York, and truth be told, sadly and unfortunately, the meetings he held were attended by 90 percent government officials, the sere speaking to themselves. There was no value in those meetings, because the meeting did not attract international solidarity and support and cooperation, because the meetings were attended actually by the same government officials, not even, serious private sector or investor or even international diplomats were present. They should have done it in Nigeria, because the essence of these side events are to bring in, a large number of foreigners who can bring improvements in terms of security, promote investment in the country. It is also, an opportunity to showcase the protection and promotion of human rights, that will encourage international community to come in because knowing that the country, respects the rule of law. It is also an opportunity to showcase the kinds of programs and policy initiatives that you have that will encourage international community to come and invest in Nigeria. When all those things are absent, I will wonder what the government was promoting to the international community?”
Rafsanjani concluded by saying that the north is the worst hit by this impasse as it is already disadvantaged Educational and cannot afford exorbitant fees in private universities.
“Lastly, let me say that it is the greatest disservice and dishonour that Muhammadu Buhari has done not only to Nigerians generally, but to the northerners in particular, because the north has been left behind educationally. And the north, because of poverty and inequality, parents have no money to send their children to UK, America or to private schools, they rely only on public educational institutions, and you have sent them away from school for over seven months. What then will you say that you have done to add value to the northern students or young people whom you have allowed your officials to continue to allow this misunderstanding to linger?,” he said.
