Asuu, The Undervalued Giant
Since the incursion of strikes into our academic trajectory, Nigerian universities, to the exclusion of the private and non ASUU members have never known rest in the practical sense of the word. In fact, it will surprise anyone if there is no shut down or any legitimate disruption in the space of two years. Taking a look at the Nigerian democratic dispensation since 1999, universities have been shut down for close to 1,500 days, that's about 4 years. This, clearly, is a highlight of an attitude of undervalue on the part of the employer. Each time this giantic player is undermined, it suffers heavily and equally shares a similar fate with the students. When universities are shut, both the students and the lecturers' psyche is axed. For the former, it means a delay in graduation, while for the latter, it means quite a lot.
Firstly, the quest to research and profer solutions to the nagging societal issues is usually punctured. The mind functions best when the atmosphere is equally right. To hold back the salaries of the intellectuals would arguably impact on their psychological alertness. Who goes to the research room when bills are disturbingly pilling up in torrential fashion? Who engages other brilliant minds to probe issues, when the passion room is going through governmental frustration and flaggelation?
Secondly, catching up with their international colleagues is almost unrealistic, giving the amount of time wasted on placard carrying, back and forth negotiations, and solidarity chants. I believe time stolen or wasted is the most tragic regret of all times. Not being able to impact their new discoveries and findings to their students and help them graduate timeously really break the heart. After all, the acquisition of knowledge, without the impartation of it does no one any good. Nothing is more frustrating than having a licensed doctor having no clinic or platform to do the healing job.
To borrow a lieu from the Bible, "The teachers will I not again take away from you...". Teachers anywhere, and at whatever level, sincerely and honestly deserve our greatest respect. Kings and queens have indeed learnt under their tutelage. There is absolutely no president or prime minister, governor or senator, whose height and achievement were ever made possible without teachers , or lecturers. To ever allow them embark on strike, let alone a perennial one is both depressing and heart - wrenching. To further Withhold their salaries in a bid to employ hunger to play the role of an arbiter is seriously a joke taken too far.
From experience, we know that monetary matters are what it takes to shut down our universities. Issues such as financial autonomy, allowances, pension, salary, and revitalisation fund to name a few are the big keys to padlock our universities. It is further imperative to know that the demand for a better pay package is not entirely exclusive to ASUU. For example, the University and College Union, UK threatened to embark on strike on what it termed " beyond disgraceful pay conditions and pensions. It is high time the government realized that monetary demands by universities are universal and vital to the repositioning of the higher education. According to the National Union of Students, UK, : university strike is a fight for the future of higher education. This, I believe, is not a perspective truth, but the unsuppressed truth. Time to wake up is now.
Samuel Ogunnaike, Lagos.