FG and ASUU strike: Conjectures or facts?

I read Abimbola Adelakun’s piece on the above subject published on October 10, 2013 with mixed feelings. I felt the need to correct some of the conjectures and outline some facts with the hope of educating her and the reading public. History is about facts and objectivity; although historians, like other scholars, do engage in some subjectivity in their writings. I write as a participant in the Nigerian educational sector in the last 25 years, and one that rose through the rank in Nigeria and the Diaspora to wear the coveted cap of a full professor. My training and experience give me an advantage to access information and separate facts from conjectures whenever I notice one in scholarly books, or commentaries in the newspapers like The PUNCH. I am always conscious of generalisation that often leads to misleading analysis such as Adelakun’s remark that, “Nigeria/Africa missed the 19th century Industrial Revolution and all its liberating powers; we sat out of the 20th century and now, defer to others who do not have double brains.” This statement does not make any sense to a student of history who is either tutored or read about the Age of Convergence; neither does it explain the fact of the trajectories of “Niger area” like other Africans during the period leading to European colonisation. In any case, Adelakun did not really tell us what relevance, if any, such a generalisation laden with conjectures have to do with the subject of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government’s response thus far. She seems to fail to realise that theory studied in the classroom does not translate into reality in Government Houses.

Like a new vice-chancellor or a returnee professor from the Diaspora with hopes and plans to change the status quo overnight, I should state that the challenges of governance are not as simple as Adelakun would want us to believe. I have read many government funding and interventions in our tertiary institutions since returning to Nigeria in September 2011, and have had the opportunity to engage “men/women-on-the-spot” about facts and fictions concerning the state of affairs in our tertiary institutions. Do not get me wrong, we are not there in many of our schools in terms of “world-class” status; yet, we have made a lot of sacrifices financially and physically since returning to civilian administration. I implore you to visit the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission, the National Commission for Colleges of Education, among others. for fact-finding about government allocations to the tertiary institutions. I beg anyone who wishes to visit some of our institutions and see some state of the art buildings conducive for learning. Again, we should do more, no doubt; and if we go by the recent evidence after the close-door meeting between the Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, and vice chancellors, the public now know that, indeed, millions of naira have been given to our tertiary institutions, except approved privately owned tertiary institutions.

Folks in the Federal Colleges of Education have a better view of Wike as a Minister of State for Education. They are probably surprised by Adelakun’s assassination of his passion and contributions to the upliftment of our tertiary institutions. In addition, since assuming the responsibility for all education matters in the last few weeks, he has made major interventions like his predecessor, Prof. Rukayat Rufai, to find a lasting solution to the perennial ASUU strikes. Contrary to Adelakun’s conjecture, men and women in the Federal Ministry of Education, the NUC, the NBTE, NCCE and a number of colleagues at the top management level across the universities would disagree with the statement that “Wike’s passions and priorities are everything but the very job he is paid to do – as the supervising minister of education.” I should note that the description does not match that of Wike I have seen in action since he assumed the oversight duty relating to education matters in the country. Neither should the release of earned allowances, capital money (NEEDS Assessment), TetFund, Project Intervention funds, or the quest for project monitoring at the institutions lead to classroom boycott. The wisdom of sound industrial relation that engages dialogue and participatory reconciliation, rather than the current model, should be the ASUU/Government way forward.

            The issue surrounding the ASUU-Federal Government cul-de-sac is beyond the generalisation and characterisation portrayed by Adelakun. The first issue is that the nitty gritty of the 2009 agreement can be amicably resolved through dialogue which is essential to resolution and accomplishment. The evidence is that the government has met a few of the needs of ASUU. Secondly, absence from the classroom does not augur well for the students and parents who suffer most. Thirdly, licensing private tertiary institutions is a fulfilment of access to education as opposed to massification and the vices we have witnessed in the past. It should not be seen as an attempt to stultify and create a sudden death for public institutions. Competition is what makes institutions thrive and excel. Fourthly, our public institutions should pursue or create sustainable internationalisation activities that would generate additional revenues. Entrepreneurial training should be synergised with experiential learning and internalisation of the curricular and external linkages. Lastly, I should point out that no institution is self-sufficient in resources and funding. Even the top best as classified by The Times Education Supplement and Columbia classification have their challenges.

We can go back to the classroom and engage in a productive colloquium concerning better infrastructure, resources, access, grants, and internationalisation. It is time for leaders in Nigeria’s higher institutions to think about internally generated revenues and efficient/effective use of revenues from ventures on campuses. Even, the private universities have their challenges of funding and resources that have not led to closure and lack of sound industrial relations with the founders. Effective labour union education and best pedagogy rooted in experiential and entrepreneurial mentoring should be the focus of stakeholders across board. We can sanitise the education sector, like any of the sectors in Nigeria, through sound industrial relations. By sound industrial relations, I mean putting issues on the table, discussing them reasonably, and finding amicable resolution without short or long time sit at home that leads to perpetual economic decadence and stagnation. As far as the education sector is concerned, there is an urgent need to call off the strike in the name of sound industrial relations that is common in developed economies and institutions of higher learning tagged “world-class.”

•Tijani, a professor of History Founding Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Education, Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, wrote in via profoye@yahoo.com