A combined photo of ASUU: and ASUU strike logos
Recently, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, National President, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) hinted of an avoidable strike this January. For us at NATIONAL WAVES, this will be one strike too many and is for all practical purposes unnecessary.
The suspension of the last strike by tertiary university lecturers collectively organised under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU last year had definitely come as a huge relief to millions of Nigerians but the mere fact that an industrial dispute of this nature had even gone that whole distance is definitely most troubling.
Broken down, the prolonged dispute and its poor management smacks of a cross between crass irresponsibility on the part of the supervising Federal Government of Nigeria and a perplexed and recalcitrant Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU that seemed to have lost focus and direction, and so colossally pushed to a wholesale defensive.
Given the original idea of the university as a lightening rod for new and fresh advances and innovations in society, this is a stark and quite distressing reflection of how very deep the crisis of public tertiary education is in the country at the moment.
It would not be a wise option to embark on a new round of strike in the new year.
As a newspaper that is preeminently focused on finding a lasting solution to the crisis that is at hand, it is important that all the various lessons learned and perspectives gleaned as regards this saga of incessant strikes have to be most critically examined. This is more so as it is very clear to all discerning observers that the current beating of war drum to kickstart another round of unrest in the universities should not be allowed to hold.
Government should immediately initiate a parley with ASUU to resolve the pending matters.
It is important therefore for the government to acknowledge that there are deeply entrenched challenges in the public tertiary education . Realization of this and working towards solutions would, indeed be the only consolation that would make sense at the end of the day.
Government should know that lecturers occupy a high end segment of the labour force that cannot be readily dismissed and recruited while also guaranteeing commensurate system stability and credibility, it is necessary that a regime of more and more negotiations on this subject is the cheaper and more beneficial way to go.
Going forward, we endorse the view that agreements freely reached should be honoured, and where it is impracticable to continue to do this, should be calmly and consensually reviewed. In this regard, we find it very baffling and unacceptable the attitude of Federal Government negotiators to proceed along with a take it or leave it approach.
In the same vein and going forward, we call on ASUU to equally review their positions as regards the long-standing agreements and bring to the table new, creative and helpful proposals that would not only help in resolving the currently yet simmering conflict but to comprehensively renew or even reinvent and deepen the systems and structures that are needed to give the nation a top-rate and globally competitive public university system.
It should eschew the position of going on strike and embrace dialogues and further negotiations.
