ASUU Strike 2013 Latest News Update: Nigerian Student Appeals To University Lecturers To Agree With FG

August 26, 2013 – ASUU Strike 2013 Latest
News Update: Nigerian Student Appeals To
University Lecturers To Agree With FG
The threat to academic stability in the nation’s
ivory towers because of the current strike by the
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has
attracted headlines in the dailies. The media has
also been awashed by many criticisms, most of
which have been directed at the Federal
Government in which President Jonathan is the
representational character. However, it appears
many of the critics have failed to consider the
other side of the coin, which is one of the
essentials in a debate on such a controversial
issue.
Therefore, the focus of this piece is to examine
the purpose of the present ASUU’s strike and their
sympathizers’ rage against the FG. Firstly, ASUU
came up with the issue of autonomy for
universities. The FG approved the idea of
autonomy so long as the universities would
generate internal revenue to offset their
expenditure, including salaries and allowances.
This government’s position provoked ASUU
members.
They poured venom on the government for
merely supporting the idea of autonomy –
existence as an independent body! Having
realized the illusion surrounding university
autonomy, members of the academic union
played down their demand. This raises a question
on the sincerity of ASUU’S demands.
On the issue of Federal Government’s assistance
to state universities, this writer supports the idea
of assisting the state universities. But must the
Federal Government be compelled to render
support to universities established and owned by
state governments? Methink helping state
universities should be as necessary as the state
governments are required to support the federal
institution located in their domain. Needless to say
that state governments collect tenement tax from
federal institutions sited in their states.
The idea of compelling the federal government to
offer help to state-owned universities is borne out
of the fact that academic staff from state
universities are also part of ASUU. The truth must,
however, be told. The Visitors to state universities
are the state governors. Academic and non-
academic staff of state-owned universities are
employees of the state governments. Compelling
the FG to assist state universities no doubt
negates the principle of federalism. It only brings
to fore the over dependence of constituents on the
government at the centre.
The progressive increase of education budget to
26% between 2009 and 2020 is another
contentious issue in the 2009 FG/ASUU
agreement. The agitation for increase to 26% in
budgetary allocation, as recommended by
UNESCO for developing nations, is a legitimate
one. So there is need to improve the current 8%
total budget to education by the FG.
However, while the FG should be chastised for its
current 8% budget to education, one needs to
remind discerning readers that in nations where
huge budgetary allocations are committed to
education, members of the academia engage in
scholarly research that help to solve societal
needs. Only a few of our academics engage in
fruitful research capable of solving the needs of
our society. Most of the university teachers set
their target in journal publication that would help
them gain promotion in their academic career
even when such is far from rendering solution to
our societal needs.
Akin to increase in budgetary allocation is the
issue of earned academic allowances for
university teachers. Allowances are stimulants
that reinforce positive inclination towards work.
While government is working out modalities to
pay earned academic allowances to deserving
university teachers, the Dr. Fagie led ASUU is
kicking against such, insisting that allowances
should be paid across board, even when not all
lecturers merit such allowances.
My experience as an undergraduate and post-
graduate student in one of the first generation
universities showed that not all university
lecturers deserve mention in the earned
allowance, particularly the absentees. It is an
open secret that some of the lecturers who are
fulltime employees in the federal universities
abandon their duty posts to shuttle between
federal and private universities. They stagger their
responsibilities in multiple roles as lecturers–in-
charge in both public and private universities
sacrificing quality of delivery in the process, at the
expense of unsuspecting students in public
universities.
These ‘abroad’ lecturers hardly attend classes to
teach in the public universities. When they return,
mostly towards the end of the semester, they
engage the students in lengthy, patchy lecture
hours in a bid to cover a course work that ought to
have been concluded before the time of exams.
Any student who dare challenges lecturer’s
absenteeism in public universities are often
victimized with a threat of carry-over of the
course handled by the lecturer or delay in
graduation.
At the post-graduate level, the situation is even
more unpalatable. Many post-graduate students
fail to complete their programmes in line with the
academic calendar due to lecturers’ negligence.
They hardly spend quality time to guide and
mentor their students in their long essays. With
this domineering posture, a percentage of the
students either incur extra year(s) or abandon
their programmes out of frustration. If you would
not grow grey hair while undertaking a Ph.D
degree as a student, you have to not only be hard
working in your research pursuit, but also be
willing to worship the deified characters in
lecturer’s garb! Let me add here that a
considerable number of the lecturers have passion
for their calling. Those ones always act right by
performing their duties without compromising
standard; they deserve their earned allowances
and should be rightly rewarded.
The influx of private universities became more
pronounced during the regime of ex-president
Olusegun Obasanjo. Yet, thousands of university
applicants seeking admission could not either gain
admission into the universities or afford the luxury
of high fee demands of the private universities. In
fulfilling his campaign promises in 2011, President
Jonathan established nine federal universities and
further established three to make it twelve. The
establishment of federal universities provided
succour to admission seeking candidates. Besides
providing admission to deserving applicants, it
also signaled a massive employment into the
education sector. Jonathan will go into the history
books as one whose regime established most
federal universities in a single tenure.
The prolonged quagmire and the sit tight approach
of ASUU members are having devastating effects
on Nigerian students, undergraduates and post-
graduates. The rot in the education sector as
claimed by ASUU should not be further fertilized
by ASUU’s hard-line posture. The standstill caused
by ASUU/FG impasse could have been resolved if
only ASUU and FG would shift ground and make
concession, at least for the sake of the students
who bear the brunt of the face-off.
Already, the Federal Government has made a
spirited effort to get the striking lecturers back to
work. The government recently released a
whopping 130billion naira in response to ASUU’s
demand for infrastructural development in public
universities.
According to the Secretary to the Federal
Government, Anyim Pius Anyim, 100billion naira is
for infrastructural development, while the
remaining 30billion naira has also been disbursed
as part of FG’s attempt to defray the backlog of
the earned allowances.
That means the federal government has shifted
ground in this regard, so what is ASUU waiting for?
About the author: Felix Festus is a PhD student
in one of Nigerian federal universities.