Leadership (Abuja)
24 October 2009
analysis
The experience of Nigerian students in the last four months since the teaching and non-teaching staff of the nation's universities took on the federal government to say the least, has been a nightmare. Without much warning, students were asked to vacate their campuses. Till now, many of the campuses are yet to come to life. Academically and otherwise, the situation is akin to the popular saying that when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.
The grass in this case, is the students, and to a reasonable extent, parents and guardians who bear the financial brunt of the cost of the numerous industrial actions of university staff.
Rather, unfortunately, it is not only the Nigerian university system, but other sectors of our economy and society have suffered as a result of incessant strikes and industrial actions as workers, always at the receiving end of bad and insensitive policies, wrestle with those in power for their rights.
The case of our universities is particularly pathetic. Having been run down by dictatorial and insensitive military governments that ruled Nigeria from the 1970s to 1998, the civilian governments that have been in power have behaved as unconcerned and clueless as the military. In the case of the civilians who run what we call a democratic government, the dividends of that government since 1998, are more visible in the outrageous salaries, expensive cars and mansions they award to themselves and their cronies, rather than invest in education, which is the 'open sesame' needed to open the door to a prosperous future for the nation. It appears that having secured their future and those of their children, most of whom school abroad, those who find themselves in positions of power and privilege in our emerging democratic society care less about such dividends going round their fellow citizens.
The above could only be the explanation why the government at all levels has failed abysmally, despite millions of naira lost to corruption and special non-performing loans given by banks to the favoured, to allocate a reasonable sum to modernisation and upgrading of facilities in our universities and other institutions of learning. Another vexed issue is the poor remuneration paid not only to varsity teachers and other teachers, but the entire working population of Nigeria, while the privileged create opportunities for themselves to steal the rest!
Since ASUU and the non-academic unions suspended their strike action about two weeks ago, not much has happened in the universities. Nigerians hope that with the euphoria that greeted the signing on the 21st of October, 2009 of what seemed like a consensus agreement between the government, ASUU and the other unions of the universities, the era of incessant strike actions and stoppages of academic pursuit in our tertiary institutions would be a thing of the past.
Universities across the country are expected to come alive from Monday, the 26th of October, 2009, following the signing last Wednesday, the 21st October, 2009 of the lingering and contentious agreement between the federal government and the academic and non-academic staff unions of the nation's universities.
At the signing ceremony which took place in Abuja, the Honourable Minister of Education Dr. Sam Egwu, revealed that agreements had been reached on all the contentious issues which had prompted the university staff unions to embark on the latest four-month-old strike, which began in June this year. According to Dr. Egwu, the agreement covered welfare of staff, including remuneration and retirement age, funding, autonomy, provision of infrastructure and equipment that enhance the quality of learning and academic standard. Perhaps, to assure sceptical Nigerians that all will be well with the universities this time around, Dr. Egwu let it be known that during negotiations, the federal government made some extra concessions. In his comment at the signing ceremony, the national president of ASUU, Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, said that everyone concerned has done his bit and that the agreement has been signed. What is left, according to the ASUU president, is the implementation of all that has been agreed to, to which end, all eyes are now on the government.
That the ball is now in the court of the government at both the federal and state levels, to determine the future of our universities is not in doubt, as the recently signed agreement has been in the pipeline since 2006. Government's lack of commitment, according to ASUU and other stakeholders, has been the factor that always pushed the university teachers to strike in their desperate bid to get government to honour agreements.
However, another school of thought says that while the government carries the heavier burden of funding and providing needed infrastructure to enable the universities function, the teachers and non-academic staff carry also the important responsibility of ensuring that government's investment in higher education is not wasted, by showing commitment and dedication to their duties through ensuring that the standard of instruction is not compromised, especially when one reflects on the bizarre quality of today's university graduates who can neither write simple application for jobs nor express themselves correctly in simple English language. Many employers of labour and parents often question what type of lecturers and university system would graduate a young man or woman who cannot write or speak in simple English. It is worse in the sciences and engineering, where many graduates find it hard to defend their qualifications.
Anyhow, signing of the agreement is a welcome relief. Most campuses of various universities have remained rather quiet, with the few students who have bothered to return to them roaming around, uncertain of what next. Rumour-mongering and speculation took over as students and the few members of staff available manufactured information to fill the vacuum.
The Vacuum
The vacuum was created by the publicised suspension of the strike action on the 12th of October, 2009. The suspension was announced after a marathon meeting between ASUU and the Education minister, which was facilitated by the good offices of the veteran labour leader and Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who was drafted by President Yar'Adua, to break the deadlock between ASUU and the federal government negotiating team, both of whom had bluffed themselves into a corner. The suspension, according to ASUU, was to allow negotiations to continue and probably, be concluded and to test the sincerity of the government side in meeting with the demands of the lecturers.
Many observers, notably students of the various universities, expected that the two-week suspension would mean that the universities would re-open and lectures commence. That, however was not to be as the various non-academic staff unions advised parents not to send their children back to school, because they (the non-academic staff) were still on strike.
Non-academic Staff
The grouse of the non-teaching university staff was that government had ignored and sidelined them from discussions that followed after Oshiomhole's intervention. They accused the government of playing a divide and rule game in the latter's desperate attempt to have the universities re-opened. The non-academic staff threatened to continue with the strike action, stating that they would continue to withhold their services in all the universities until government recognised that they have to treat them equally with the academic staff in all matters that will ensure a smooth functioning of the university system.
The threat by the non-teaching university staff did not go lightly, as reports show that till today, close to two weeks after the suspension of the strike by ASUU, normal academic activities are yet to commence in the various universities, as students are even yet to return.
At the University of Abuja, Gwagwalada, in the Federal Capital Territory, Leadership weekend correspondents found that there was only a small number of students and staff on campus, with most of them coming and going in search of information on when academic activities would fully commence. Interviews with some of them as well as some staff of the university revealed that they were waiting for a pronouncement from the senate of the university on a date for full resumption and commencement of academic activities. A top university administrator who pleaded anonymity, told Leadership Weekend that they expect the school to re-open fully on Monday, the 26th of October, 2009, provided that ASUU, the non-academic unions and the federal government reached an amicable settlement on all issues under contention.
At the Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, investigation by Leadership weekend revealed a situation similar to that at the University of Abuja.
Our findings also revealed that some lecturers have, for undisclosed reasons, refused to go back to the classrooms. Some of the students who spoke to Leadership Weekend on condition of anonymity attributed the skeletal activities in the campus to the "inability of students to return back to school on time", saying that a reasonable number of students have adapted to life outside school as a result of the protracted strike".
At the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Leadership Weekend discovered that about 40 per cent of the students are yet to return, a development that has paralysed academic activities to a reasonable extent.
"Let me tell you, some of us have been out of school for a long time because of the ASUU strike. We are yet to re-adapt to school life. As I'm talking to you now, I may not come to school again till Wednesday next week," said an ESUT student.
A similar situation exists at the University of Jos. Leadership Weekend found that skeletal academic activities commenced following the two-week suspension, but several departments have not had any lectures, while those that have recorded poor attendance.
However, there is optimism among the staff and students on the campus that with the recent signing of the agreement between the federal government and ASUU, more students will turn up.
Also speaking, a lecturer with the department of Mass Communication who did not want his name in print, told LEADERSHIP WEEKEND that some of the students were afraid at the beginning, because the temporary resumption was for two weeks, but now that the strike has been called off, all the students will soon resume classes.
A non-academic staff member told Leadership Weekend that most of them resume work at 12.00pm, because they walk from their houses to their offices, because their salaries have not been paid and they have no money. He added that they leave office at 2.00pm to trek back home and by 4.00pm, which is the official closing hour, they are already at home, he fumed.
Academic activities at the University of Lagos commenced on Thursday, the 22nd of October, 2009, while at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, lecturers resumed on the 19th October, 2009, a week after the suspension of the strike. Minna and some others have even released exam timetables.
Leadership Weekend found that aside students, workers and lecturers, other groups adversely affected by the long strike action are operators of business centres and canteens. These people are also relieved that the strike has been called off and that their abandoned business activities will come alive again.
At the University of Calabar and the Cross River State University of Technology (CRUTECH), our correspondent observed that though many students have returned to the campuses in a happy and upbeat mood, lectures are yet to commence. Most students are therefore using the period to read and prepare. Official spokesmen of the two institutions confirmed however, that academic activities will be in full swing next week.
Leadership Weekend in Kano observed that academic activities at the Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and the Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil, are yet to resume. However, like other institutions across the country, lectures will commence next week, though a BUK lecturer who pleaded anonymity threatened that lecturers will not start even next week until government pays all their outstanding salaries, adding that they (lecturers) stand by their no pay, no work decision.
Relief
Nigerians in general are relieved that at long last, thanks to the actions of President Musa Yar'Adua and the Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the controversial agreement on how to put the universities on a sound footing has been signed. It now behoves all stakeholders to ensure that the agreement is judiciously implemented. Amos Samuel, a 300-level student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna , while congratulating the federal government and ASUU, said that what remains is for government to meet the demands of ASUU, so that they will have no cause to go on strike again.
Incessant strikes by university unions has become like a cancer in the tertiary education sector of the country. In all cases of strike actions, the students have always suffered the closure of universities outright, in which case academic activities are stopped, or students are made to suffer lack of basic amenities, like water, electricity, good hostel accommodation and poor sanitation, as non-academic staff withdraw their services. Since 1982, when the first ASUU strike took place, close to two years of the academic calendar have been lost to strikes, with the attendant consequences on quality and duration of courses. All these constraints have made the Nigerian university system unreliable, frustrating and have encouraged the flight of both teachers and students.
Leadership Weekend, like many Nigerians, wishes and prays that the 21st October, 2009 federal government and ASUU agreement, which we hope has also taken care of the non-academic staff, will usher in a new era in the history of tertiary education in the country.
By Louis Achi, Abuja, Louis Okoroma With Jerry Uwah (lagos), Abdulazeez Sanni (minna), Nnamdi Mbawike (enugu), Achor Abimaje (jos), Abdulaziz Abdulaziz (kano) And Edem Edem (calabar)
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