FG must address varsity teachers’ grievances

Nigeria’s university system may witness another disruption of academic activities if the federal government fails to urgently address the grievances of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). The varsity teachers are not happy that the federal government has reneged on its agreements with ASUU on funding and staff welfare, especially the one of 2009. Almost all our universities are badly funded and poorly staffed and equipped. The situation is worse in state and some private universities.

The recent claim by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, that there was no binding agreement between the federal government and ASUU has further aggravated the matter. Although the minister reportedly recanted following public outcry, what he said was tactless, insensitive and unacceptable. The agreement between ASUU and the federal government is not in doubt. Whether it was signed by past administration or the present one does not nullify it. After all, government is a continuum.

The federal government has not been fair to varsity teachers. Their welfare has been trivialized and even politicized. The state governments treat their varsities the same way. The attitude of the government towards varsity education is not encouraging. Let the government dialogue with ASUU and come up with a realistic template to address their grievances, especially funding and varsity teachers’ salaries and allowances. The government should be willing to fund the universities and address the shortfall in staff and equipment. We believe that addressing these challenges will forestall the impending strike. Therefore, we call on the federal government and ASUU to resolve this matter amicably. Let all outstanding issues be holistically addressed.

ASUU had also called on stakeholders, including the National Assembly, religious leaders, traditional rulers and students, to caution the federal government against pushing the teachers to embark on a nationwide strike. The call came on the heels of warning protests by members of the union across the country, especially in federal universities. The lecturers have also warned of the consequences of the impending strike should the government fail to address their demands.

ASUU members in most federal universities recently embarked on solidarity protests in their campuses. The chairman of ASUU, University of Ilorin, Dr. Alex Akanmu, was quoted as saying that “university workers are not slaves, increase budgetary allocation for education. As peace loving as we are, we can no longer allow the welfare of our members to be subjected to the delay tactics of this government.” At the University of Maiduguri, the ASUU chairman, Dr. Abubakar Mshelia, warned on the dangers of treating intellectuals with disdain, stressing that such cannot result to meaningful progress in Nigeria.

Before the protests, ASUU had threatened that its members may be forced to embark on a nationwide strike over their dissatisfaction with the way their demands are being handled by the states and federal government. The demands by the union are informed by the piteous state of the universities in the country. Most of them are grappling with inadequate funding, dilapidated infrastructure and disillusioned workforce. The libraries and laboratories are littered with obsolete books and equipment. For instance, a classroom meant to accommodate 50 students now takes over 150 to 200 students in most federal and state universities. The lecturers are leaving in droves for other countries due to inadequate motivation. Recent media reports indicated that no fewer than 239 first-class graduates of the University of Lagos, employed as lecturers, left the institution within seven years. Poor remuneration, poor working conditions, and low motivation among lecturers, led to the mass exodus of the varsity teachers.

Unfortunately, the federal government has treated all agreements reached with ASUU since 2009 with utmost disdain. That can explain the recurring strikes embarked by ASUU since then. In 2020, the union went on strike that almost lasted a year. Between February 14, 2022 and October 14, 2022, the universities in the country were paralyzed because of strike by ASUU over funding and other demands. A whole academic session was lost in the process. The strike was the 17th in the series since the commencement of the present civilian dispensation in 1999.

Each time the teachers go on strike, the academic calendar is affected. Cumulatively, the strikes affect the years the students spend in the universities. The disruptions also impact on the standard of varsity graduates. Some of the students have taken to crimes due to idleness occasioned by strike, while the parents bear the pressure of sustaining their children and wards in schools indefinitely.

There is need for adequate funding of the universities. The rot in the system has been pervasive. Hence Nigerian universities are poorly ranked in Africa and beyond. What we have now cannot produce world class graduates. The issues raised by ASUU should not be trivialized or dismissed. The demands of the union are legitimate and necessary for the survival of the university system.

Instructively, the federal government has promised that it would not allow the current agitation by the lecturers degenerate to full-blown strike. Let the promise be kept. Let the government honour the agreements reached with ASUU forthwith. University education is important to the development of any nation and should not be toyed with.