ON THE LINGERING ASUU STRIKE AND THE DEADLOCK WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT – SHOULD WE ALLOW DISAGREEMENTS OVER ISSUES ADVERSELY AFFECT THE MOLDING OF OUR FUTURE YOUNGER GENERATION?
November 18, 2020 | News
It really breaks my heart that, despite the importance of Education, which is universally recognized as an inevitable tool for the development of the society, getting rid of ‘ignorance’, our past and present Nigerian Governments have often paid more of lip service to the development of education in the country.
ON THE LINGERING ASUU STRIKE AND THE DEADLOCK WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT – SHOULD WE ALLOW DISAGREEMENTS OVER ISSUES ADVERSELY AFFECT THE MOLDING OF OUR FUTURE YOUNGER GENERATION?
It really breaks my heart that, despite the importance of Education, which is universally recognized as an inevitable tool for the development of the society, getting rid of ‘ignorance’, our past and present Nigerian Governments have often paid more of lip service to the development of education in the country. Education is an investment that pays off any time anywhere, especially in a world of crumbling economies and turbulent times, investing in education becomes even more paramount. Sadly, it is only in Nigeria that a Government, and of course the Authorities in the Education sector, would allow its teeming and vibrant youth population to remain at home for the past Nine months and still counting, without loosing sleep over it, or making the needed ‘sacrifice,’ no matter how disagreeable it might seem, to ensure that our tertiary institutions remain open for our youths.
How can we allow students of tertiary institutions remain at home for this long? What is even worse is the fact that there seems to be no end in sight in resolving this deadlock issue between the Federal Government and ASUU. Despite several meetings held between ASSU and the Federal Government through the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, which have always been deadlocked, as a result of disagreement over the payment channel for the ASUU members. On one hand, the Federal government has unilaterally refused to pay the withheld salaries of some members of ASUU through other legitimate means than Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS). On the other hand, ASUU said there was no way workers whose salaries have been withheld for months could return to work without being paid.
In my own candid opinion, I would advise the striking lecturers to resume work, while they still pursue their demands at the same time. Especially since the Government authorities in the Education sector, has said that the Federal Government has met all but one of ASUU’s Five demands. Let us also bear in mind that from the onset, ASUU had vehemently opposed the use of the IPPIS, which was approved by the government to ensure a more transparent payment system of salaries.
The truth is that, we really do not realize the sort of damages and ripple effects these frequent strikes by ASUU, has on the emotional, psychological and state-of-minds of both parents and students, that are ones adversely affected. How can a student who is supposed to finish a course in four years, ends up graduating in five to six years, as a result of frequent strikes that kept him at home? It is also believed that the large turn-out witnessed at the recently hijacked #EndSARS protests across the country was made possible as a result of the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU).
The question is, should we allow this to continue without any end in sight? Absolutely not! Let ASUU call of the strike, resume the schools for the sake of the students, while they still continue their negotiations with the Government in addressing this issue of contention. If the issue of contention is still the payment of the lecturers that are directly affected, then perhaps they should give the Government a limited time frame to address the payments using the approved new system. But again, I would also implore the Federal Government of Nigeria to quickly facilitate the process that would address this payment issue, or whatever pending disagreements they have with ASUU.
The Government cannot continue to treat the nation’s Education sector with such indifference attitude. This abnormal situation over the years, has left us today, with an education system that is flawed, far below global standards and nothing to write home about. The saddest part is that, rather than the Nigerian political class and those in public service positions of authorities to constantly find ways to address this anomaly in the nation’s Educational sector, they prefer to take the easy way out by sending their children/wards to the best schools abroad, and at the same time kill the nation’s education sector with their ill-advised, poor funding and unpopular policies. Even the political leaders and politicians themselves have equally abandoned the nation’s educational system for those abroad; leaving the common Nigerian masses to grapple with the defective education system in Nigeria.
We would keep having these strikes every now and then, until the political leaders in Government would start making the nation’s Education sector a top ‘priority’ that deserves all the attention it can get to raise its standards to be like the ones in abroad.
Zik Gbemre.
November 18, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
It really breaks my heart that, despite the importance of Education, which is universally recognized as an inevitable tool for the development of the society, getting rid of ‘ignorance’, our past and present Nigerian Governments have often paid more of lip service to the development of education in the country. Education is an investment that pays off any time anywhere, especially in a world of crumbling economies and turbulent times, investing in education becomes even more paramount. Sadly, it is only in Nigeria that a Government, and of course the Authorities in the Education sector, would allow its teeming and vibrant youth population to remain at home for the past Nine months and still counting, without loosing sleep over it, or making the needed ‘sacrifice,’ no matter how disagreeable it might seem, to ensure that our tertiary institutions remain open for our youths.
How can we allow students of tertiary institutions remain at home for this long? What is even worse is the fact that there seems to be no end in sight in resolving this deadlock issue between the Federal Government and ASUU. Despite several meetings held between ASSU and the Federal Government through the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, which have always been deadlocked, as a result of disagreement over the payment channel for the ASUU members. On one hand, the Federal government has unilaterally refused to pay the withheld salaries of some members of ASUU through other legitimate means than Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS). On the other hand, ASUU said there was no way workers whose salaries have been withheld for months could return to work without being paid.
In my own candid opinion, I would advise the striking lecturers to resume work, while they still pursue their demands at the same time. Especially since the Government authorities in the Education sector, has said that the Federal Government has met all but one of ASUU’s Five demands. Let us also bear in mind that from the onset, ASUU had vehemently opposed the use of the IPPIS, which was approved by the government to ensure a more transparent payment system of salaries.
The truth is that, we really do not realize the sort of damages and ripple effects these frequent strikes by ASUU, has on the emotional, psychological and state-of-minds of both parents and students, that are ones adversely affected. How can a student who is supposed to finish a course in four years, ends up graduating in five to six years, as a result of frequent strikes that kept him at home? It is also believed that the large turn-out witnessed at the recently hijacked #EndSARS protests across the country was made possible as a result of the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU).
The question is, should we allow this to continue without any end in sight? Absolutely not! Let ASUU call of the strike, resume the schools for the sake of the students, while they still continue their negotiations with the Government in addressing this issue of contention. If the issue of contention is still the payment of the lecturers that are directly affected, then perhaps they should give the Government a limited time frame to address the payments using the approved new system. But again, I would also implore the Federal Government of Nigeria to quickly facilitate the process that would address this payment issue, or whatever pending disagreements they have with ASUU.
The Government cannot continue to treat the nation’s Education sector with such indifference attitude. This abnormal situation over the years, has left us today, with an education system that is flawed, far below global standards and nothing to write home about. The saddest part is that, rather than the Nigerian political class and those in public service positions of authorities to constantly find ways to address this anomaly in the nation’s Educational sector, they prefer to take the easy way out by sending their children/wards to the best schools abroad, and at the same time kill the nation’s education sector with their ill-advised, poor funding and unpopular policies. Even the political leaders and politicians themselves have equally abandoned the nation’s educational system for those abroad; leaving the common Nigerian masses to grapple with the defective education system in Nigeria.
We would keep having these strikes every now and then, until the political leaders in Government would start making the nation’s Education sector a top ‘priority’ that deserves all the attention it can get to raise its standards to be like the ones in abroad.
Zik Gbemre.
November 18, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes