| Nigerian students. source:ynaija.com |
BY
KAYODE BELLO
With the tirades of accusations and
counter accusations from both ends: one from the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) and the others from the Federal Government ably represented
by the Finance Minister, Mrs.Okonjo Iweala, Supervising Minister of Education,
Nyesom Wike, and Doyin Okupe, the Senior Special Assistant to the Nigerian President on
Public Affairs, not forgetting the NANS President’s contributions, Mr. Yinka
Gbadebo cum various opinions, facts, and figures presented in the course of the
strike, it is of concern that such cannot just go without certain consequences.
Some consequences can be envisaged while others may remain hidden. Just with
200 billion Naira injected into the public universities nationwide, how will it
be divided within the universities? Will it be according to the population of
the university or in terms of the needs of the universities? Take a typical
federal university for instance and compare such with a state-owned university.
Olabisi Onabanjo university for instance has been reported by the National
Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) in its report that
facilities at the University are in a sorry state, yet year in, year out, the university
churns out graduates. Only OOU’s Faculty
of Law was rated fairly in terms of facilities and level of development. May be
it is not far-fetched to know why it is one of the best Law faculties in the
country. With no malice against other institutions, I have met some OOU
products from the university, and they have proved me wrong with such notion
that OOU may be a dumping ground of students. It is only that the other
institutions may pride themselves due to such facilities and names they enjoyed
over time. What the Federal government and the Academic Union of must be after
is ensuring if not even developments, at least a noticeable development across
board. It still remains unclear if the state-owned universities would benefit from the the lot.
Although not all matters concerning
the ASUU strike can be reported on the pages of newspapers, magazines or aired
on the broadcast media, but issues that form the very essence of agitations and
related ones should not be left unaddressed. The Unilorin 44 is an issue that reminded
the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU of the need to include the non-victimization
clause in the Memorandum of Understanding plus other issues like the payment of
the stopped salaries, since the varsity lecturers down tools. Initially, itwas
a case of: ‘No work, No Pay’, then later it became: ‘’ No Pay, No Work.’’
President Goodluck Jonathan said it was the pro-chancellors and vice
chancellors of the universities that gave the directive that the varsity
lecturers must resume on December 4, 2013, which was later extended to December
09, 2013. The varsity lecturers kicked back saying such were empty threats. In
a swift reaction, Wike and his counterpart at the Aso Villa, Okupe, who once
accused some Nigerians of suffering from certain medical disease to have
criticized President Goodluck Jonathan, launched an attack at the agitating
lecturers.Okupe has always been referred to as the Presidency’s bulldog.
Anyway, Femi Fani-Kayode once acted such role, as he one-time lambasted the grey-haired
English maestro, cum public commentator, Prof. Wole Soyinka of suffering from
old age.
Still on ASUU/FG impasse, one would love
to opine that this should be the last industrial strike action. Yes, of course,
everyone that had been affected one way or the other must have opined so, but
what would happen to the N200 billion is something only known to the deity
(God). Thus, the spending would be left in hands of those that the lives of
many living and unborn are entrusted in terms of bringing back the glory of our
tertiary institutions especially the universities in the country. If one can vouch
for the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission,
and other monitoring or civil societies,
then Nigerians can be told to have a
hitch-free or ‘mosquito-free’ nights without getting disturbed,but would the
spending of the fund be like normal cases of untraceable funds in the country.
The cases of Oduah, Farouk Lawan versus Otedola, among others are hanging
sending signals to those still interested to take away their gaze on the matters.
ASUU claimed its lingering strike would bring about rejuvenation of the public
universities, but is it ready to monitor the fund, and ensure it is used for
what are outlined? Hope when the fund disembarks at the various airports of
different beneficiary varsities, it would not take another flight through the
back doors of the governing councils of the universities, or part of it would
suddenly get wings and fly away.
Furthermore, the Union had put as a
clause, the non-victimization of its members but are they not going to be
victimizing students again in their respective institutions? ASUU can be said
to be the only fighting or living Union in the country, as the Nigerian Labour
Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) lost it during the Oil Subsidy
Removal protest. ASUU today could not have put as part of the clauses that
there should be no increment in school fees payable by the students in
different institutions, because it would leave that to the National Association
of Nigerian Students (NANS) that had been seen as anti-ASUU in this struggle.
One must be reminded that NANS has apparently become a political wing in the
hands of the ruling party for the monetary reason of being rich quick by those
that occupy the helms of affairs of NANS. Of course, at various instances it
had been said that the government is really subsidizing public institutions.
Remove the subsidy or subventions, then students are expected to pay through
their nose because they often come from very poor backgrounds. These students
may in nearest future face an increment in school fees. Why? The answer is
simple. The government needs money to fund public institutions. Already, LASU
example is always being justified by Babatunde Fashola (SAN), the Lagos State
Governor, saying for instance, if you pay N25,000 as tuition fee, then you
should expect N25,000 worth of knowledge, but if you pay N250,000 worth of tuition,
then expect a bountiful and robust knowledge that worth an international level,
or somehow close to it. One argument to put up is: do we really provide such
facilities worth huge amount when students or parents pay handsomely? Take the
case of the Nigerian Law School as an example as reported in the Punch newspaper of Saturday, December 7,
2013, pages 18,19, and 20, titled: ‘’Suffering and Smiling in Lagos Law School.’’
The law students would pay over N295,000yetthe facilities are not commensurate
with the amount payable. Some students on the social media had said there must
now be air-conditioned classrooms and the scarcity of water and epileptic power
supply that discourage learning and studying must be things of the past as N200
billion is on the way to the institutions. If the school fees are increased,
then some students may be rebellious, take to the streets. When they take to the
streets, some are used as scapegoats, as deterrents to others through
rustication or expulsion especially if their parents are not known Professors
in the University or they do not belong to certain caucus.
More importantly, hope the Presidency
is not paying lip service to the matters on ground. One must know that the
ultimatum on resumption to the striking lecturers was due to the fact that year
2013 is a crucial year in resolving all
matters before 2014, and ultimately year 2015, the general elections are due to
hold. So, hope there would not be another ploy to frustrate the whole struggle
by ASUU later on. Initially, what Okonjo Iweala was saying was that no money
to pay the striking lecturers, but at a time some amount was added. From
experience, the Presidency parades the likes of Wike, Abati, and Okupe who
apparently say something today to come out the following day to say no they did
not say so. Hence, maybe the FG is saying abracadabra. Also, the pumping of the
N200 billion yearly in the next five years into the universities may be turned
into a set-up by the government. How? Take a scenario where the money is
actually given to the universities to discredit them in terms of spending. Can
you as a Nigerian vouch personally to be on a look-out for how the money will
be spent judiciously? The Federal Government may be a devil that one has to
hold a long spoon to eat with. To ASUU, they are winning, but to Federal Government there may be hidden
agenda to tell Nigerians that the money given is not appropriately used by the
universities and the governing councils
of the Universities would comprise if
not all the ASUU members, that would determine the spending of the money on the
itemized projects. This is to say that the universities cannot be really
separated from ASUU, while the principal officers of the universities are often
members of ASUU, especially the vice chancellors who are picked from ASUU’s
rank and file. The issues on ground are intertwined, and except those in charge
realize that it is one thing to embark on strike, or protest, it is another to
ensure victory, success or to achieve at the end of it all. Of course, some
would jostle for contracts and supervisors would naturally inflate prices for
there is N200 billion coming from the government. The vice chancellors and
pro-chancellors even top functionaries or politicians would recommend their
people for contracts. Part of what had been enumerated by ASUU as lacking are
inadequate or poorly funded libraries, poor living condition,inadequate and
overcrowded classrooms, inadequate staff, low ranking of Nigerian universities,
inadequate research and learning
facilities, compared with the rest of the world and what ought to be.
Moreover, one must inform ASUU that
one major reason the students were divided over the strike has been that the varsity
lecturers themselves do not promote an atmosphere of freedom of speech at the
universities. NANS either lacks proper orientation on what ASUU is fighting for
or the NANS itself has been bought over. Lecturers must see students as
partners in progress and development of the universities. They must be given
courage to speak against evils or ills in the universities
and society, with the view to contributing critically and meaningfully.But it
is alarming that what an average student preoccupies his/her mind with is how to
make money quickly, become most successful instantly or watch who and who are
reigning in the entertainment industry, or which song is the latest. These days
due to government’s failure to provide basic amenities for the citizenry,
citizens are now thinking of how to create wealth and be able to attend
congregational services to give thanksgivings, whereas many might have duped or
outsmarted the other in other to ride the latest vehicles. Hope, moderation, discipline,
contentment and corruption-free society must be ensured. The educational
institutions must contribute their unreserved quota in these ventures. They
must be seen as contributors in the Project Nigeria. Lectures or University
administrators must not think they have the monopoly of knowledge or solutions
to the Nigerian problems. These if ensured would restore hope in an average
young Nigerian. Though it is a gradual process, as an average lecturer in Nigeria
may think the hell he goes through, others must go through it. The decadence
and educational backwardness in Nigeria is not today’s occurrence. It is an
accumulation of years of neglect and bastardization. Many public primary and
secondary schools have been turned to their shadows or skeletons- no adequate
classrooms, laboratories are now warehouses for cockroaches, rodents, spiders,
and all sorts of unpalatable inhabitants. Quack personnel litter and parade
those schools. Teaching is no longer interesting, as even colleges, institutes or
faculties of education might boast of competent personnel or products,
yet the privately-owned ones are unaffordable for the common men who think their
votes would result into better life for themselves and others.
Additionally, would competency,
adequacy of facilities and personnel among other criteria be truly looked into
by the Academic Staff that accredit the universities? The Academic Union that
complains of dilapidation in some institutions has also been accused of
participating in accreditation of those institutions hence there is the need for
sincerity in approving those institutions. Some solutions to the perennial and
recurring problems have been proffered. The government, ASUU, students, all and
sundry must ensure that their hands are on deck towards revamp of the Nigerian
primary, secondary and tertiary institutions for the actualization of the
progress, development, and transformation we yearn for. Most importantly, a Committee
must be set up to monitor the spending, while the National Assembly performs
its oversight functions. And that is if they perform actually their oversight
functions, not witch-hunt or what-do-you-have-for-us functions.
Happy
resumption!!!
Kayode Bello is a Law Graduate, Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. +2348037298557.
