By Prof. Ezekiel Ayoola On Aug 21, 2022
I FELT sad when I heard what the Hon Minister of Education said yesterday. I have experienced strike for more than 30 years since I joined the system as an Assistant Lecturer in February 1989, but I have never seen a situation like this before. Even during the military regimes, ASUU was treated with some level of respect and honour.
We had hoped after the 1992 strike that things would be better for the Nigerian academics and the universities. That is why some of us, out of patriotism and the willingness to contribute our quota to the development of Nigeria at least at the level of Education stayed put in Nigeria.*
We refused to join the brain drain wagon. But look at where we are now suffering because we insist that things should be done right.
I remember my former M.Sc. Supervisor who left the country in annoyance in August 1989 for America following the devaluation of naira occasioned by the structural adjustment program (SAP) of IBB. He has been living comfortably, smiling in the US ever since, having experienced a fulfilled academic life. We have since collaborated and published articles jointly, using facilities and funds from his research grant.
Similarly, many of such people that were brain drained to other suitable lands are happy, smiling where they are doing their academic works. I remember our former UI ASUU Chairmen Prof Agbon and Prof Jimi Adesina (now in USA and South Africa respectively). They have been excused of the incessant strikes that refuse to be a thing of the past. Uncountable number of them that should be helping us in Nigeria is out there in the foreign lands where conditions are right and attractive.
My worry now is how do we retain the young productive colleagues that are still around in this system and how do we recruit and retain the talented ones we have trained in this country in the next few years if the refusal of government to do the right things to support academics still stands? These young ones are expected to take over from us when those of us the elderly ones exit the system. This is the tradition we inherited from our former teachers and mentors, encouraged by the system at that time.
My worry stems from the fact that at least we need to convince the young ones that making sacrifices for this nation would pay eventually. But can we do that in the present circumstances that we have found ourselves?
How on earth should the negative consequences of this strike be laid on us, ASUU members, for asking government to do her work effectively on time, and for asking government to provide enabling academic environment including competitive pay that are taken for granted elsewhere abroad and even in some African countries?
Asking Students to take ASUU to court for wasting their time looks to me unreasonable.
Who should be accused of wasting students’ time; ASUU or government that refused to do the right thing at the right time? The government that could not prevent the strike? I know it is not in the character of ASUU to wake up one morning to declare a strike arbitrarily without exhausting all the necessary avenues including lobbying. With strike experienced in the universities since 1980, why can’t the government utilise that experience to do the needful without the union going on a full blown strike any longer.
If we have a problem that persists for that long, why does the government fail to listen to volumes of suggestions and write ups on the issue? I know a lot of studies and research had been done on ways to prevent strikes in our universities. The reports are there in the libraries gathering dust. The research and development units of government ministries (if any) and the Nigerian Presidency should wake up to their responsibilities. I know in the US seat of government, the White House, there is a Research and Development unit that helps the American Presidency with appropriate research based recommendations for the right policies and decisions on matters of national importance.
In this dispensation, why did the present PMB administration fail to continue the good work that her predecessor President Jonathan started on the Revitalization program otherwise called the NEEDS Assessment program while in office?. Why must the past labour on the NEEDs assessment thrown to the dustbins? What has happened to the principle of continuity in government? It is clear beyond any doubt that we have a government consisting of many people that think lowly of academics and their welfare.
A responsive government will listen to the persistent cries for the development of academic environment to the level where we can make huge national revenues through the instrumentality of the knowledge economy as in the contemporary progressive nations of the world.
For example, why is it difficult for us to have students from all over Africa, Europe, Asia, the Commonwealth trooping to Nigeria to receive education if our universities are right,? Instead of the other way round in the world of today. And this had happened in Nigeria before.
Why are our leaders competing among themselves to send their children and relations to top universities abroad?
BrownAds 1000x100_anchorad_responsive_DFP
For example, University of Ibadan was rated as one of the best ten universities in the commonwealth in the 1970s. And the university trained many people from America, Europe, Africa and the rest of the commonwealth at that time. And many top experts from foreign countries worked in the university at that time. Why can we not manage success in this country? What are the factors responsible for our present predicaments? These facts should occupy the inquisitive mind of any government eager to develop the country and leave a legacy that will be difficult to rubbish.
Again, why can’t we have well known foreign experts across disciplines making Nigeria their destination for sabbaticals and tenure appointments at this time ?
Its obvious that this nation can never develop if the present attitude of government to the issue of top level educational institutions and academic welfare persists.
Already, progressive nations around the world continue to shop for people in all areas of endeavours from all over the world, that can contribute meaningfully to their quest for developing knowledge economy. It is known in the academic circles that the existence of top rated academics in any discipline is not location bound. We should also shop for such people by making our environment conducive and making academic salaries comparable to the world or African standard. This should attract and retain such world class experts in our universities.
It is doubtful that our government knows that there are developed countries of the world where there are no appreciable deposits of physical minerals like petroleum products and other solid minerals like ours but they only develop knowledge infrastructure that launches them to first class nation and earns them appreciable incomes
