ASUU Strike: Election should not hold education to ransom

Going headlong with the Federal Government, again, has been another resort of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to protest what they have argued to be insincerity and lack of integrity  on the part of the government to honour promises and agreement made in respect of decade long demands. While the University professionals have continued to hold that the Government must come to terms with the need to reposition the University system in the Country to meet, if not the standards of the developed world, but at least draw close in proximity, it would appear the Government’s disposition reflects a posture irreconcilable to what the demands really call for.

The failure of the Nigerian government to act responsively to these demands has left the stakeholders aggrieved, with the narratives of incessant strike as the resort to protest the perceived non-proactivity. At some point, the academics described same as an act of indolence, wickedness, and at some end, insensitivity to the issues of concern which bear significant cords to the prospect of the society.

The breakdown of talks between both parties in sight of the ongoing industrial action has come with several dramatic turns. Arguments that listening ears to the stakeholders may not be melodious in time, as attention to the 2023 politicking may be responsible for the docile tune to the demands of the professionals, may be one of rational position on one side. While this may be a factor, it is also notable that even when there were no elections, strikes lasting beyond the term of the ongoing one have been recorded. In near distance, the 2020 ASUU strike had lasted for nine months, March-December. Although COVID-19 could be said to be a factor in the background, it is not to say such is justifiable for the persistence of the strike in that particular event. Hence, it would be notable that every case of a lingered strike would have its background circumstances with factors that may be pointed to as contributing strings informing the unyielding posture of the government to demands and the hostile stand of the aggrieved parties to remain headlong in the battle.

However, it would become hara-kiri where in the present event, drumbeats of 2023 politicking would be seen to be an overshadowing loud factor dictating a tune of deafening posture of the government to the demands. Such would only amount to insensitivity to students’ concern and a flagrant show of bogus selfish interest of a desperate political class.

Recently, students bodies sensing same, have begun to pick on disruption of political electioneering processes as a handle of threat to get the Government yield their cry, after repeated acrimonious appeals appear to be falling more on deaf ears. The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has added up declaring its intention to commence a strike from its own end too. Commencement of same would be moving to a close resemblance of a breakdown of the higher education system in the Country.

As threats from student leadership continue to give warnings of holding the political class to ransom by disruption of electioneering processes, responses to their plight may begin to draw calls for peace talk for negotiations. On Tuesday, May 10, 2022,  President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan had upon receiving officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) who were led to his office by a concerned Methodist Bishop, Dr. Sunday Ndukwo, said the Senate will intervene in the stalemate between the Federal government and ASUU by bringing back the two parties to the negotiation table.

Responding to students’ call by their leadership, led by NANS President, Sunday Asefon who lamented their continued stay at home and disruption of their academic programmes,  the Senate President  was quoted, “You are in the right place. We are going to intervene. We will make concerted and sustained efforts to bring back ASUU and the Federal government to the negotiating table, so that we are able to resolve as quickly as possible those issues that are now very knotty and have stopped our Universities from reopening, that is now making our students walking the streets all over the Country. But I want to appeal to you too, since we are going to make effort to bring back everybody back to the negotiating table, you should give us a chance to do that, believing that we are going to find a solution, because it is not only enough to bring them back to the negotiating table, but we will participate and I want to make sure that we find the solution when we start the negotiation again.

“Now that you have come here, we are going to make sure that everybody in this sector, especially those in the public sector who have responsibility and mandate, perform their functions. We will make sure they do that. Time is of essence and we must do whatever is necessary to get this issue resolved.

“I want to also advise, I don’t think it will be necessary to distrupt political activities. We shouldn’t do that and we don’t need to do that. What we need to do is to continue to follow the path of consultation, consolidation and avoid confrontation. It is when you emphasise consultation, it is much easier for us to find something that you can consolidate.

“Your prayer that you want the Federal government and ASUU back to negotiate and resolve the issues, we have taken this prayer. We have endorsed it and we will work for it as quickly as possible. It is an opportunity for me also to appeal to ASUU to suspend this strike period because there is no way ASUU can negotiate with the Federal government when it is on strike. So, it is an opportunity for us to have them, at least create a window, suspend the strike for a certain period and let us see how far we can go.”

If disruption of political activities towards the 2023 electioneering politicking would be the only language of reckon that would sting the political class to respond to the demands and dissatisfaction of the ongoing strike, then it shows a reflection of an insensitive crop of political leaders, who have left the Country at the mercy of selfish interests, while it crumbles off the stature of strength. The need to fix the pressing issues are alarming, and electioneering politicking should never be a circumstantial factor holding a sacred institution as education to ransom.