When he received some governors, legislators and other political leaders in Daura during the last Sallah holidays, President Muhammadu Buhari appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off its ongoing prolonged strike, saying “Enough is enough of keeping students at home.” The President urged ASUU to sympathize with the people as well as consider the future of the students and allow classes to resume even as negotiations continue.
Nigerians had expected the President to have spoken out much earlier and expressed his exasperation at a strike action that commenced on February 14, which was over five months ago. He was indeed right in stating that keeping the universities shut for so long had serious negative implications for the institutions, students, parents and even the society as a whole with the likely tendency for a rise in social vices among the idle youth.
But that is exactly why beyond his rather plaintive and seemingly irresolute ‘enough is enough’ plea, much more positive, focused and decisive action is required from President Buhari in order to find a lasting solution to this crisis. In the same vein, his call on well-meaning Nigerians, particularly those close to leaders and members of ASUU, to intervene in persuading the lecturers to resume work is not out of place. But it cannot substitute for the responsibility of his office to be at the forefront of resolving the impasse.
We see no reason why the President had not taken a more active and personal role in the negotiations between the union and representatives of government long before now, especially as the strike had dragged on interminably. It is certainly not too late for him to do so now; indeed it has become imperative. For one, there is the looming threat by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to declare a nationwide strike in support of the university workers. The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG) has strongly stated its readiness to join the NLC in such an action and this will most likely be the stance of other unions. The implications of such a degeneration in the industrial relations climate in the country at this time of severe economic hardship and large-scale insecurity can best be imagined.
Again, the President cannot afford to take a passive stance in this matter because it is not only ASUU members that are on strike; other unions in the academic sector such as the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have also downed tools rendering the entire system prostrate. It is only the Office of the President that can oversee and help bring about a wholistic solution to such a pervasive crisis in the higher education sector. Personal involvement of the President will assure the striking workers that agreements reached have the imprimatur of the highest authority in the land and further assure them that they are held in high esteem and not being taken for granted by government. This will brighten the psychological climate for a quick resolution of issues at stake.
Another reason why the ball lies in the court of the President is that, as ASUU has pointed out in response to his plea, the Professor Nimi Briggs-led Committee set up on June 7 to renegotiate the contentious 2009 Agreement with ASUU and submit its report to the Education Minister, Mallam Adamu Adamu within three months, has reportedly done so. We expect that the Minister ought to have speedily forwarded the report to the President to enable him take necessary decisions for further negotiations and a quick closure to the logjam. In this regard, we agree with the leadership of the National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) that it is only when the President has considered and taken action on the Professor Briggs Committee’s report that members of the public can have a firm basis to seek to prevail on the striking workers to go back to work.
However, even though ASUU’s position and grievances on poor funding of public universities is justified and understandable, the union and others also on strike in the university system cannot be insensitive to the grave economic crisis and severe financial crunch the country currently faces. While this calls for urgent measures by government to plug sources of wastage, tackle corruption and reorder its priorities, ASUU too cannot afford to be rigid and inflexible in its demands. Both parties must shift grounds in order to reach an accommodation urgently and allow the universities reopen.
There’s need for creative thinking in the search for better and sustainable funding for public universities. For instance, government could consider selling its property lying fallow across the country to raise money. Another striking option was the crowd funding private initiative mooted by human rights broadcaster of ‘Berekete family’ fame, Isah Ahmed, but which ASUU preemptively turned down. Innovative ideas to improve varsity funding should be welcome.