Asuu, the right fight for better nigeria

                                            Written by Comrade Osondu Chukwuemeka Benedict

ASUU, the Right Fight for a Better Education in Nigeria (1978 Creation)

Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU,
the dialogue with from federal government from 1999 till date. Now let’s take a little history of the fight between Academic Staff Union of Universities and Federal Government.

As at   1999 – 5months

            2001 – 3months

2002 – 2weeks

2003 – 6months (ended in 2004)

2005 – 3days (shortest strike struggle)

2006 – 1 week

2007 – 3month

2008 – 1week

2009 – 4months (the year of promising)

2010 – 5months and 1week

2011 – 3months (ended in 2012)

2013 – 11weeks at present and ends indefinitely

This has led to the Union stating clearly that they are ready to continue the strike if it takes years, insisting that their decision was adequately taken in a bid to revitalize Nigerian universities.

An agreement was reached in 2009 that all federal Universities would require a total sum of 1.5trillion spread over three year that is (2009 - 2011) to address the challenges in the universities.

But on the memorandum of understanding signed between the union and the federal government in 2012, federal government decided to include both federal and state universities. After the 2012 review, it was agreed that instead of 1.5 trillion, federal government infuse a total of 1.3 trillion into the universities over four years.

Almost four years now, federal government has refused to fulfill its end of the promises made. Rather federal government had a secret meeting with the vice chancellors of universities, offering them N130 billion with an order to lecturers to resume work immediately. However, the point here is that ASUU is not making any new demand but has maintained that the 2009 agreement must be honored with the Terms of Agreement reached.

It breakens the heart of people to hear that the demand of ASUU is capable of shutting down the country, in quote the Minister of ……………………………………. In her statement said “ASUU can continue with the strike if they like and that the federal government is not ready to meet to the demand that is ASUU is rapacious in their request”.

As a nation and as a country who has celebrated over 53years of independence, the fight ASUU as a body has been fighting for the replacement of lost maintaining struggle in our universities has been misplaced, misunderstood and taken for being self-centered and unpatriotic. It is unfortunate and painful that over 53years of self drive nothing has been placed in our Universities, yet thousands graduate yearly from both, universities, polytechnic, monotechnic and Colleges of education yet nothing offer to these brighten youths. For instance Ghana, Benin Republic, Angola, South Africa etc are making great strides on all fronts because the people and its leaders know the values of what need be.

Crises, does not bring priorities but we must get our priorities right as a country and as an individual. Government must curb its own excesses. Education is never a privilege but a right, so it must be given its due attention, Education of its citizens must not be subjected to any form of traits or negotiations. Indeed, it is shameless of our leaders who are educated to lack integrity, honesty and peace to deliberately want the strike to continue in order to blackmail the union that is how low this present looks of individuals called leaders can stoop.

This ASUU fight should also give other unions never to give up to in their struggle for the best, it is so worrying that some government individuals has always maintained that our graduates are unemployed and our universities shun out, these are the same individuals finding it hard to implement the agreement made in the years past.

Have we ever wondered about the private test, the 600 man delegates, centenary celebrations, salaries and allowances of federal legislators, amnesty and militants payment, and enough billions to beg Boko Haram to accept amnesty, but centenary celebration is the must priority to government, but there is no money to build a satisfying environment for the citizen who will make up their wrongs when they die off.

Government cannot claim it has no money to fulfill the agreement they signed. A nation with 109 senators earning 19.6billions in a year, 51.8 billions on House of Representatives for the same period with a total of 71.4 billion as at statistics with this 71.4 billion representing 17.8 percent of the 400 billions yearly fund recommended by the committee on needs of Assessment of Nigerians Universities, looking at our noble professor, doctorate holders deserves these amount and we talk about health, where these the same individuals fly abroad for check-up, what happens to the hospitals we have here, Electricity and Road is not left out. There is no way numbers of challenges facing the country can be resolved if the political elite don’t feel the pangs, talking about political challenges, when has the president sat with ASUU to resolve this challenge but he has the time to sit and seek solutions for PDP (People Democratic Party) 

Furthermore, government and its agencies must take into cognizance the fact that the longer the strike, the longer the rights of the students are been deprived, therefore changes of the students luring into social vices, thereafter bringing a problem to the social.

Remember, we must get our priorities right as a country same as our right to education which can never be a privilege.

Note: The problem of Nigerian leadership is the failure to meet its necessary needs of it people.