Why ASUU showdown with government is justified

Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU )  has gone for broke with its declaration of indefinite strike, ending its roll-over strategy  since its February 14, 2022 call out of  lecturers in public universities.  The union of academics  must have decided to force issues, considering that in recent times, momentum has been building up against the six-month-old strike that has grounded academic activities in public universities across the nation.  The lecturers are being  backed to the wall  as federal government negotiators, its spokespersons and critics, mainly on social and print media,  project  ASUU members as self serving, over indulged and lacking empathy for their students. The broadcast media are not left out as the ASUU strike has been subject of discussion and phone-in programmes on radio and television stations.  Editorial writers and columnists are having a field day, pontificating on the face-off. The initial groundswell of support for ASUU is gradually giving way to a weariness-induced  attitude of ‘e don do’  (enough is enough) by a growing segment of the public.  It is understandable.  Those who have been largely parents, in absentia, are being compelled to be parents, in situ, for six continuous  months and many do not find it easy. It has occasioned frayed nerves at the family level.  Yet, neither the federal government nor ASUU is yielding substantive ground.  DEADLOCK, STALEMATE.  Then, ASUU, apparently to bring issues to a head, decided to declare a comprehensive, indefinite strike, apparently for issues to be resolved, once and for all. It is  A DARE, a SHOWDOWN  –  literally taunting the  federal government: bring em on !   FGN – ASUU are in a vice-grip, as it were.  What gives ?  Will it be a sledge-hammer response from government or a compromise ?

Does ASUU have a strong case  and an appropriate strategy?   Yes, ASUU has a strong case but its strategy has come under attack.  There is general consensus that ASUU’s agitation for better funding of universities is a laudable cause.  What has been largely contentious is the strategy.  Retired Prof. Jide Osuntokun, a distinguished academic and administrator, described  a situation where ASUU has continued to  deploy the strike weapon, futilely, for decades as “madness.”  Prof.  Funso  Famuyiwa, a professor of medicine, in an 11-item reaction to Osuntokun’s prognosis, had pointed out that as at 2010, the federal government  owned 37 universities and many other tertiary institutions but (President Goodluck) “Jonathan went on to establish several more as  (President Muhammadu) Buhari after him has also done.”

Of course, it is madness to establish many more universities when you cannot properly fund existing ones.  And that is the crux of the matter; funding.  So, it is ASUU’s ‘madness’ versus governments’ ‘madness’, because state governors, who also frivolously establish new universities, are part of this ‘madness’.  

Many, like Prof. Osuntokun,  have had sweeping condemnation of ASUU’s deployment of strike as a weapon of negotiation, implying it had been a failure.  I think that is specious, uncharitable and a spurious generalisation.  First, it is not the case that successive ASUU executives just wake up one day and precipitately declare strike. They first  engage  government in dialogue, sometimes protracted dialogue.  It is when dialogue is deadlocked, agreement  reached but not signed or  terms of agreement  not substantially implemented that strike becomes the last option. And, really, have successive, anti-quality education  Nigerian governments been amenable to reason? To conclude that the strike option has been a failure is an exercise in mischief.   There have been gains. The Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND) is a standout achievement from ASUU strikes as that agency has been instrumental to  the limited infrastructure development in federal and state universities and academic manpower training through scholarships for postgraduate studies and for research.  Still on the contentious efficacy of the strike option, isn’t it the norm that  government officials often come into interaction/relationship/negotiation  with organisations and the people with bloated arrogance and condescension, as if they are doing the people a favour?  Strike or militancy, therefore, seems to be the language to speak to government to get some understanding. (apology to President Muhammadu Buhari)

Why is ASUU showdown with government, with its indefinite strike, justified?  It is on the basis of the tottering state of nigeria’s education  system, in totality, from primary to tertiary level. It is a dilapidated house due for reconstruction, sparing it outright demolition. This strike may be the opportunity for such re-building.

Now, let us look at a few indices of the decadence in nigeria’s education system.  nigeria, the giant of Africa, is conspicuously missing from the  World  Education Forum’s list of the top 10 African countries with best education system in its 2022 report. Yet, nigeria is not on the list of the top 10 African countries with highest literacy rate. nigeria’s literacy rate is put at 62.00 per cent, but with 10.5 million out of school children, aged 5-14, the highest in Africa and second highest in the world, after India.The case is with university ranking that justifies ASUU’s agitation.  

Again, nigeria is listed as having the highest number of universities in Africa. However, in the Times Higher Education’s World University Ranking 2022, it is only the University of Ibadan that is ranked among the top 10 universities in the continent – and that in  the 10th  position! This shows that for nigeria, university education is long in quantity, but very short in quality. And this is what  ASUU struggle is all about – restoring quality to university education in nigeria, particularly federal and state owned universities .

Dr Olawunmi, Senior Lecturer, Department of Mass Communication, Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State

The post Why ASUU showdown with government is justified appeared first on Daily Trust.