5 months ago
9
We thrust connected with pleasurable pleasance of enjoying Professor Olu Obafemi’s patriotic interest with the cardinal government’s cognition to what we telephone Nigeria’s nationalist universities. What I enjoin you to bask is the pleasurable bleakness of our large thinker’s elucidation of what helium elucidates.
ASUU’s committedness to the federation arsenic a labour union
In owed committedness to their avowed work to the federation arsenic a labour union, being a origin of production, ASUU has perennially sensitised authorities to the information that they signifier the basal for a beardown workforce that populate some the nationalist and the backstage sectors. Thus, authorities indispensable beryllium alert that its governance effectiveness is assured by its designation of the centrality of ASUU successful labour recruitment and economical development. They indispensable beryllium abreast and publicise the adequacy oregon different of funds received, their intent and effectual management.
It is besides successful this vein that the Union nudges authorities to amended upon its appropriation to acquisition successful wide and Higher Education successful particular. It is successful this respect they marque examination with our nations’ show successful this assemblage successful comparative terms. ASUU person cited the much salutary allocations made to acquisition by smaller African states similar South Africa, Namibia, Sierra- Leone, Mozambique, and Lesotho.
For instance, from statistic available, portion Africa is recorded arsenic spending implicit 5 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the 2nd highest of immoderate region, circumstantial spending of circumstantial African countries record, successful Global ranking of acquisition spending percent of GDP successful 2021 tin beryllium recovered here: (https://www.the globalconomy.com/rankings/educationspending/Africa).
Nigeria does not diagnostic among the 40 nations ranked successful Africa and the world. Government may/should understand, arsenic already established by probe findings, including Olukemi Lawanson, Dominic I. Umar (2020), that acquisition ‘fosters economical growth’ determined by carrying retired an investigation of their probe connected interaction of Government’s expenditure connected acquisition astatine the assorted levels of acquisition connected Nigeria’s economical maturation for 38 years (1980-2018).
This corroborates assertion made by frontline scholars and experts connected Nigeria’s acquisition recommending ‘improved backing of acquisition astatine each levels fixed their interconnections.’
It is recommended that Government should churn retired and instrumentality ‘policies aimed astatine diversifying and broadening the Nigerian economy’, noting that ‘economic maturation has the imaginable of expanding acquisition spending’, if, I indispensable add, specified economical resources are good focused successful the absorption of education.
The accustomed excuses being precocious by analysts from the alternatively debased backing argumentation of acquisition by Government see the: (i) ravaging effect of planetary economical recession, crippling overseas and home debts with the mammoth allocation to indebtedness servicing to the detriment of superior and recurrent appropriation (this year’s Appropriation of 28 trillion naira, implicit a 3rd of it is for indebtedness servicing), (ii) galloping diminution of gross from the extractive, lipid assemblage and the non-oil sector, (iii)gross money mismanagement by government; and the cesspit of corruption.
All of these person been offered arsenic obstacles to due backing of universities and, therefore, the unending strikes and unstable calendar of the universities to redress the decadence and rot successful the assemblage system.
Strikes, negotiations and re-negotiations, results of which person been swept speech by authorities and punitive steps similar non-payment of salaries to striking workers, person been the operational ambience and clime of assemblage civilization successful Nigeria, arsenic modular and prime nosedive frightfully. Government’s reprisal on-strike enactment is ongoing successful non-payment of salaries seized by the Buhari-led government, based connected the obnoxious and amerciable ‘no enactment nary pay’ rule.
Even arsenic the contiguous authorities promised to redeem that concern and has begun to bash truthful successful parts, determination are imminent and ongoing plans of concern enactment to compel authorities to wage seized salaries by different assemblage unions.
Besides unit connected authorities to be to the payment and assets demands of the acquisition sector, members of the national person perennially acrophobic themselves with the authorities of the nation. Thus each year, since the eighties, the authorities of the federation has taken centre signifier successful their yearly normal and communique. I callback the 1986 variation successful particular, due to the fact that of its humanities significance. The variation was titled ‘ASUU and the 1986 Education Crisis successful Nigeria’.
It was the ‘text of the Communique of the ASUU Conference connected the State of the Nigerian Economy’ which took spot successful Benin successful April 1984’ and formed the perpetual Agenda of the Union for the ‘liberation of Nigeria from economical servitude, societal anarchy and governmental instability, however to prevention Nigeria’.
At the bedrock of this work was the tragic events successful which unarmed students and citizens were murdered successful acold humor by constabulary successful ABU Zaria (ASUU,1987). It stresses the ‘commitment of the Intellectual’ to societal transformation’ done truth-telling, ‘courage, readiness to transportation connected rational inquiry… (to prosecute in) ruthless disapproval of everything that exists’ inviolably and relentlessly.
I must, however, authorities responsibly, that successful spite of the disdainful provocations from the system, academics and their national indispensable never, successful despair, surrender their own, the university, to the apathy and insensitivity of the governing elite.
As academics and scholars, committed to the production, delivery, organisation of knowledge, the assemblage is our earthy habitat. Even arsenic we conflict to amended it, erstwhile the conflict is won, determination indispensable beryllium universities to spell to and effect the harm and disrepair.
To beryllium continued.
Afejuku tin beryllium reached via 08055213059.
)
English (US) ·