The union of academics have being on warning strike and public universities locked for the past 4 weeks. There is no sign that the strike will not transform into a full-blown strike from Monday. To pretend that FG is doing something about it, the Minister of Education, Mall Adamu Adamu, inaugurated a 7-man committee to renegotiate the already renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FG Agreement.
NITDA added its own by coming up with the UTAS failing integrity test. NITDA possibly forgot that ASUU still has the NITDA report on UTAS that says UTAS scored more than 80 percent on technical assessment and more than 85 percent on end-user assessment. With the development over the last 4 weeks, it is obvious that a full strike is inevitable, and not certain how long the strike will last. That is entirely in the hands of the Federal Government.
The students can’t challenge the frequent closure of public universities due to strike actions on the same issues that FG deliberately refused to resolve. They lack the willpower. They were at home for 9 months in 2020 without any resistance. So, they can be kept at home again for another several month.
On fuel scarcity, Femi Adesina, the spokesperson of the president, said heaven would not fall over the current fuel scarcity and Nigerians will survive it like always. That is their mindset. They can also keep the students at home for months and heaven will not fall. After all, the elitist kids ain’t in the public universities but in the UK or in private universities. While ASUU is on strike, the president is chilling London and all they are concerned about is the APC internal crisis, the party’s national convention, and the 2023 election.
To think that students that use to change national policies can no longer change their condition or fight to stay in school is quite amazing. In 1962, students prevented the government from signing the Anglo-Nigerian Defense Pact. There was the 1978 “Ali must go” protest in which all the universities in the country protested a rise in the costs of university education. There was the 1989 nationwide protest against the ruthless implementation of the IMF and World Bank inspires Structural Adjustment Program (anti-SAP protest).
They pursued the Academic Reform Campaign in 1991 by issuing an ultimatum to FG to declare a state of emergency on education. Then, the May 1992 nationwide protest dubbed “economic protest” that was described by the military government as equivalent to coup d’etat. These are a few of the historic moments of the students’ movement before the decline in the mid-90s.
In the 80s, Nigerian students had a historical ideological alliance with ASUU. The students’ activists enjoyed the support of radical intellectuals in the labour movement and in academia. Today, there seems to be a wide gap or disconnect between the students and their lecturers. While today, the academics are lobbying for political appointments from politicians, factions of the student movement are going around giving awards to decadent state actors that in reality have little or no value. Radical intellectualism is gone along with the patriotic students’ movement of the 70s, 80s, and early 90s.
The comments on the recent drama between the students and the Education minister where the minister walk out of the meeting room showed how we have been programmed to think. I read comments such as: the students had a chance to make their voice heard and blew it. With the chance to meet the almighty Minister one-on-one, the students were expected to hide the anger and beg the minister so that they can get back to school. Amazing! Meanwhile, I thought the students’ protest will be sustained till the strike is called off, but it was just for a day and they are back home to meet mommy.
But how do you beg a minister that was aware of the problems of the public university and other schools and was a huge fan of ASUU and their strike till he became a minister? How do you give 90 days to a committee to negotiate an already negotiated agreement? What will they do with the 90s? You are indirectly telling the public that the strike will last for a minimum of 3 months.
The students were said to have had a second meeting with the minister. The strike is 4 weeks old and we can’t figure out the influence of the meeting and their discussion on the actions of the FG on the conflict. So, what are the effects of the 1-day protest? ASUU is prepared to roll over the warning strike to full strike with emphasis on the review of their salaries and other welfare packages. Buhari’s government is more concerned with the APC convention to secure their political might. And the students of public universities are at home.
Dear students, this strike can end within a week if you have the willpower to make it happen. It is up to you if you want to stay at home or get back to your campuses to continue your studies.
Dear ASUU NEC, there is always this embarrassing comment that lecturers helped politicians to rig elections. I find it difficult to defend it even though I have never participated in such exercises. Just the way ASUU NEC directed members not to recognise Dr. Ibrahim Isa Pantami as a Professor, I hope NEC will also direct members not to participate in any future election as collation officer, returning officer, etc, starting from the 2023 general elections.
Amoka is a Professor of Material and Solid State physics
