Education is a transformation tool in any given society and
it should be held in high esteem. The future of Nigeria education has
been relegated by various stakeholders (including, F.G and ASUU) in
the sector. It is unfortunate that the government that is vested with
the responsibility of ensuring sustainable development in all
ramification through education claimed to have skiped some allowances
of teachers in higher institutions of learning during the preparation
of it fiscal budget for 2013. A contract or agreement that is duly
signed by parties is deemed to be binding on the parties involved, but
the Nigeria government that should uphold this has failed to implement
such agreement which it entered into with ASUU in 2009, which in turn
The Nigerian National Policy on Education specify the standard and
goals of higher education in Nigeria, but the government has failed in
meeting up to such standard in terms of infrastructural development,
research development and facilities, also in building a total,
functional and a self reliance education in the youths in order to
avert crises and high rate of social menace and moral decadence.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on the other
hand has failed to accept the fact that there exist social
stratification of the “Haves” and Have Nots” in the society as the
“Haves” i.e the rich does not want access to quality or eminence
education by the “Have Nots” i.e the poor, thereby igniting incessant
struggle between the two class and the universities staff also belong
to the class of the “Have Not” i.e the lower class in which the common
parent and students are included, (poor against poor).
The act of frequent declaration of strike action by ASUU is not at
all time the solution for government to meet up their demands because
the end product of the strike action often falls back on the lower
class in the society i.e the “Have Nots” . The claim of ASUU is the
government refusal to grant the lecturer’s allowances and
extra-payment on student’s project supervision, examination
supervision, workload allowances, etc… The question is that with all
the salaries and municipal revenue generated by public universities,
are they able to meet up to the minimum local standard talk much of
international standard?. The rich men children are flown abroad to
obtain a qualitative and valuable education. The Nigerian professors
are merely theoretical in nature and dispositions, however, lecturers
believe in examination and regurgitation of knowledge from students,
they also perpetuate all manners of academic corruption which is
systemic. Some of the universities lecturer’s performance can not be
equated to their rewards or benefits as their job performance is
relatively low in contrast to their economic return. They do no longer
assume that the rewards of teachers are in heaven as so many of them
strive for various kinds of political appointments in both state and
federal level under the disguise of “ASUU”. The poor man and students
should not suffer for this. Education has become a game and teddy bear
in the hands of F.G and ASUU. A bachelor degree programme that should
last for four(4) years is now been elongated to five(5) years, thereby
increasing the cost on education for both parent and individual
student in a highly competitive and relatively low returns on
investment on education society like Nigeria.
In conclusion, ASUU and F.G should recognize that the future of
this country and the education of its citizens for overall development
are premised on the formulations and implantation of positive
educational and social policies. However, I hereby appeal to the
conscience of ASUU and Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately
speed up actions in resolving and implementing the October 2009 joint
agreement between them to rescue the nation’s educational system.
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