From Strike to Class to Protest - The Trials of ASUU

The match has been dragging on for quite a while now. The concept of protesting and resisting oppression has always been part of our history as societal beings. There are petitions, cries, demonstrations and strikes when we have unacceptable policies. The larger the scale of the strike, the more effective it is.

Take for example the 2012 NLC General Strike, due to the increment of fuel price. It only lasted a few days but the economy of the country was paralyzed so the fuel price that had been increased from #85 to #150 was reduced to #90 per litre – rapid response. Striking is normally the last resort even in a football match, it has to be quick, clean, swift, and deadly-accurate.

But then our beloved body of academia body, ASUU, has lost its potency in front of goal. This body has struck so many times it has lost its potency. Lightning doesn’t strike twice but these strikers have struck several times that they have lost the public sentiment that had always been on their side. ASUU has now been described as ideologically vulnerable by some quaters.

Despite the legitimacy of the Union’s demands: increased funding for tertiary education, University autonomy, renovation of decayed infrastructure in Nigerian universities, competitive salaries for University professors etc. in recent times the union has been accused of greediness from several quarters, students included.

However, it must be noted that while the blame game and sentiment drag on, critical issues are being left unattended to. The educational system in the country has stagnated and is in a state of decline. It does not equip the graduates with the tools to change the society, alas, the system itself is ill-equipped.

Many of our Nigerian politicians and political office holders send their children schooling abroad. There was a picture of a governor of Nigeria posing with his son on the latter’s graduation day. In the same picture were also other Nigerian governors who have abandoned their duties here to felicitate with the boy’s father.

Recent statistical studies have shown that Nigerians spend around $28.65 billion on foreign college education. And only the rich can send their kids to choice institutions like Harvard and Cambridge although there are some commoners who have managed to send their children to at least, University of Ghana. Just to show how low the quality of education here is. A lot of revenue that could have stayed and help improve our country has been gifted to other nations.

In light of all these, it is really shameful to call the only body that has been protesting the quality of education in the country greedy. They might have had excesses but honestly strikes are the only effective measure with the government we have. Imagine how incapacitated the system of education in Nigeria would have been without ASUU. Oh I’ll show you.

Recently, the House of Representatives read a bill sponsored by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, to introduce tuition fee into Nigerian Public University system. This means very soon, Nigerians will be paying as high as #1,500,000 to study here. And interestingly, the reintroduction of tuition fee had been one of the issues ASUU vehemently opposed. One of the issues for which they went on frequent strikes (16times, roughly 1404 days since the 4th republic began)

ASUU puts its foot down and resisted this arbitrary laws, as it is in the Constitution that every citizen has a right to education. They tried but they couldn’t stand strong. Then after resuming from the last one, with little to no result achieved and being paid half of their salary as consequence despite an agreement of full payment of the months their salary was withheld (Pro-rata payment as the minister put it)

They got an agreement which was reneged almost immediately by the government. It comes as a little surprise that the union has decided not to strike, the UI branch of the union has instead decided to move. To March. They are not sitting back idly, tiredly or even giving up – the quality of their salaries is at stake anyways. They are marching, and have extended an arm of comradeship to the students and the general public.

The students went out on their own during the strike, like they almost always did during previous strikes and protested. Though their protests were louder and almost uncontrollable at some point it simmered down. There were sects among the students, the keyboard warriors who are indifferent to the circumstances surrounding the educational system but are rather worried about their babes, school cruise and graduating.

But graduating Into what? A high number of graduates are unemployed. Even law graduates who are supposed to be more lucrative are doing Charge and Bail, what then do we say of someone studying Yoruba Education.

This proposed partnership of lecturers and students in the front line of the attack against poor educational quality in Nigerian varsities is perhaps the deal breaker, even moreso when it’s done simultaneously across the country. The teacher and the student charging down the streets, decrying the devaluation of education. One can always hope, however, that we won’t end up on offside. We move together towards the goal.

by KG