The Nation Newspaper

Category: Commentaries

  • At last, the strike ends

    SIR: Students must have heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday when the Federal Government and representatives of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) signed the Memorandum of Understanding to end the strike.

    Finally, the strike is over. Students can now go back to the ivory tower. Lecturers can now roll-up their sleeves to work. Abandoned projects can get completed at last. The botched semester can continue without disruption.

    But how I wished the strike never happened. In a year of 52 weeks, students spent 25 weeks out of school. This would not have been if federal government was faithful to its agreement in 2009. It is said government is a continuum, therefore all actions taken in time memorial still stands despite the government of the day.

    Now, another MOU has been signed. Another agreement reached. It is time for government to redeem its battered image. As it stands, the government has lost the trust of the people. It is smeared on its face as an institution that reneges on agreement- e.g. ASUU 2009 MOU, ASUP/FG agreement, and striking doctor’s agreement. The list is endless.

    When trust becomes difficult to command, then something must be wrong. Why will any reasonable Nigerian and even at that, intellectuals not take to the words of the highest office of the land? Why will evidence be required before further action? Even after a 13-hour meeting? That shows the level of trust.

    Nigeria as the giant of Africa need not have a dwindling education sector. The sector does not need to be handled with kid’s glove. According to the late Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Our immediate world is Nigeria, therefore the need to seriously pay attention to education is imminent for a better society.

    • Kelechi Amakoh

    University of Lagos.

  • Before ASUU strikes again

    Fascinating verbal nuances were evident as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) ended its marathon five-month old industrial action with effect from Tuesday, December 17. ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, said “ NEC has resolved to suspend the strike embarked upon on July 1, 2013, with effect from Tuesday, December 17, 2013, and directs its staff to resume work forthwith.” Interestingly, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, said “Notwithstanding the fact that some of the sessions were typically stormy, I am gladdened by the fact that the strike has been called off and we are here to formalise the process that will work to uphold the renewed confidence between ASUU and the government.”

    Note that while Fagge used the word “suspend”, Anyim employed the phrase “called off”. To the discerning, the one implies possible resumption, while the other suggests an ending. This subtle but significant difference in diction deserves contemplation.

    In connection with the likely import of the divergence in their choice of words, in fact, reinforcing the discrepancy, is Fagge’s pregnant statement while addressing journalists at the Bosso Campus of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, where he said, “ASUU would have preferred to undertake the re-negotiation of the 2009 agreement in the second quarter of 2014, but we were persuaded to shift the date to the third quarter, and we agreed as a gesture of goodwill.’’

    So the third quarter of 2014 might be problematic, given the history of conflict resolution involving ASUU and government. It took a marathon 13-hour meeting between ASUU and President Goodluck Jonathan on November 4 to resolve the complicated disagreement, with the government committing itself to injecting N1.3tn into public universities between 2013 and 2018. The compromise involved N220bn yearly government release beginning from 2014, and an agreement to domicile N 200bn in a special account at the Central Bank of Nigeria for the remaining part of this year.

    The high figures were understandable in the context of the dispute which centred on increased funding of the public universities, a declaration of state of emergency in tertiary education, improved wages as well as payment of earned allowances to academic staff.

    It remains to be seen whether the formation of a 12-man monitoring committee on the implementation of the recommendation of the Committee on Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities can stop a recurrence of strike. It is interesting that the chairman of the committee is no other than the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, the very character who, apparently in a moment of pitiable confusion, threatened to sack any lecturer who failed to return to work on or before December 4, 2013. With such a bossy mentality, may Wike not provoke another storm!

    Fagge put the issue in perspective, saying, “It is our hope that government will honour these resolutions as signed.” This is the crux of the matter. Before the just ended strike, four years ago ASUU had a similar faceoff with the Federal Government which lasted four months, and the terms of resolution unbelievably formed the basis of the 2013 industrial action. So it’s like you never can tell what will happen.

    Sometime ago, in an intriguing creative response to the challenges facing management of public universities in the country, the respected Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, declared that the institutions probably should be shut down for a two-year period to allow for a re-imagining of the concept of tertiary education. Far-fetched, some critics observed at the time. But, in the light of developments, doesn’t it sound reasonable, given the unending see-saw that the ASUU versus government conflict has become?

  • Now that the FG/ASUU imbroglio is over

    SIR: It is unfortunate that some people in our society did not and still some do not understand why ASUU went on strike. I must make bold to say that it is not for pecuniary benefits. Some people are thinking of material/financial gains instead of the victory this strike has won for the education sector.

    I think that the more sobering and engaging concern should be what happens now that the strike is over? How do we consolidate on the gains of the strike? It is a many pronged expectations. From ASUU members the public expectations are very high. With the money that will be pumped into our public universities, the question is, how do we shore up the standards in teaching, research and community service? How do we ensure that our students graduate as well rounded educated people capable of holding their own anywhere in the world? How do we deal with the monster of examination malpractice, sorting, sexual harassment and moral declension in our tertiary institutions, etc?

    On the part of government, how do they insist that money released for the development of infrastructure and equipment are not mismanaged, siphoned or shared? The government needs committed involvement in how the money released is spent by the benefiting universities. There is need for a fool –proof monitoring mechanism to ensure proper utilization of funds.

    On the part of the students, they must make up their minds to work hard to earn their degrees. The era of sorting, sex-for-marks, examination malpractice should be over as we enter into 2014 which should mark a glorious phase of higher education in Nigeria. Students must insist that they get their best from the lecturers and the university authorities. They must resist truancy, unseriousness from lecturers and non-committal attitude from the university authorities on issues pertaining to their general welfare.

    It is therefore of far lesser consequence to be talking about paying lecturers their arrears of salaries. Most lecturers were engaged in their research, community service and academic consultations during the period, lecturers have borrowed so much money to remain alive in order to sustain the battle. Many have died in the process – notable among them is Prof. Iyayi. What ASUU members have lost cannot be quantified. The five months salary arrears is in fact the minimum sacrifice the government is making to assuage the loss incurred by battered academics to encourage them to go back to work.

    Strike is like a civil war that does no side of the war any good. The government and ASUU must do all that is in their power to make this the last strike in the history of university education in Nigeria. The verdict is that ASUU, federal government, students, Nigerians and parents are the vanquished in this titanic battle. Education sector will only be the victor if the outcome of the strike helps to reposition the education sector for better productivity and efficiency.

    • Prof. G. O. Ozumba

    University of Calabar

  • Osun’s developmental strides

    The government of Rauf Aregbesola from inception promised to be a peculiar administration; three years later the governor has lived to its promises. The six integral action plans  of the government remained the compass that guides the working and actions of the government in its core mission to battle poverty, banish hunger, unemployment, restore healthy living, promote functional education, and enhance communal peace and progress.

    At the inception, for eight months the governor did not appoint commissioners as was the custom in many states. This action of  the governor did not go down well with the opposition who threatened to take legal action against him.

    When he eventually appointed the commissioners, he gave his explanation: “ I used the first eight months to save enough fund for the projects and programmes of the government; our predecessor took a bank loan that grounded the financial wheel of the administration to the tune of 18.6 billion naira to finance stadia projects when we were not hosting any sport competition. Every effort to renegotiate with the bank where the loan was taken failed until we found another bank that bought over the said debts and granted us a convenient loan to finance our projects.”

    The next surprise was the employment of 20,000 youths under the Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme – OYES. This singular acts was the first of its kind in Nigeria. The ousted government did not waste time in writing off the scheme as ridiculous and insulting for state graduates to be engaged in communal work with ordinary 10, 000 naira per month. They accused the government of deceit over the numbers said to have been engaged.  Aregbesola was not bothered by the negative criticism; rather he asked them to verify the actual numbers under the scheme from First Bank who paid the youths monthly. He also replied the opposition by demanding from them what were they able to do for the same youths for a period of 90 months they were in power in the state.

    Today, the OYES scheme has since received the approvals of the World Bank which in turn  sold the good idea to the Federal government and supported the scheme financially. The federal government has since  kicked off the scheme under the name YESSO. The prophet is said not to enjoy respect at home, the Aregbesola scheme that was ridiculed and disparaged by political opponents is today being celebrated nationwide for reducing joblessness among our youths.

    The government has also mobilised youths into farming via O’REAP. Many have been trained within and outside Nigeria to embrace modern farming techniques. Vast hectares of virgin lands are being cleard for large scale farming, loans schemes and farming equipment as well as fertilizers are also being provided to boost farming in the state. The state is gradually becoming the food basket of the South-west.

    This effort has made Osun to be voted as second best in poverty index in Nigeria. The Federal office of Statistics has also adjudged it as the best among the states with less percentage of unemployed youths.

    An issue that shook the administration was the allegation of islamization of the state by the Aregbesola administration. First, the governor was still trying to resolve the contention between the Christians and the Muslims in the state over the use of hijab by the students in the public schools, when the governor granted public holiday to Muslims in the state in order celebrate Hegira-an Islamic new calendar to usher in New Year 1434. The Christians alleged that Aregbesola was about to convert the state into an Islamic state. His defence was that the Muslim have long being denied the right to enjoy such holiday due to the fact of history that favours the Christians as a result of colonialists’ recognition of Christian holidays at the expense of Muslims.

    He also touched on his mode of dressing which gave room to his critics to accuse him and his government of islamization. He made reference to former governor of Benue State, Reverend Moses Adasu, who for the three years his government lasted wore cassocks and nobody raised an eyebrows. He wondered why people now make an issue about his dressing.

    Almost all his celebrated breakthroughs were misconstrued out of ignorance or envy. Opon-Imo, an educational tablet that has earned the state and the governor international award and recognition was born in controversy. When the tablet was launched, the political elite especially the opposition was acidic in their condemnation of the device. Newspapers’ columnists added insulting articles upon articles ridiculing the government, but like the Wright Brothers were disparaged initially but celebrated till date over invention of aircraft, the Opon Imo has become an international phenomenon, that has earned one award after the other.

    The government educational policy in which schools were reclassified into Elementary, Middle and High schools was similarly misunderstood by some individuals, churches and notably, the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), Osun chapter. But when efforts were made to explain the true motives of the government, it became clear that their action was more political especially when they charged the governor with attempting to Islamize the state, whereas the same individuals and organization crying foul hailed the administration from the onset of the school reformation and reclassification exercise. But time eventually proved them wrong that the reclassification was a fulfillment of government continuous educational reform.

    Sukuk,the Islamic bond that the state of Osun obtained for the pursuit of educational development, turned out to become another controversial issue even by those that ought to know better. CAN alleged that it was part of methods the governor designed to Islamic the state. But government explanation was that the Central Bank of Nigeria and the financial market were behind the bond. Recently, the British Prime Minister declared that his government was set to obtain the Islamic loan. The Federal government has also indicated its willingness to use Islamic loan to finance transport projects in Nigeria. What the opposition thought they could use to rubbish the administration of Aregbesola ended up making him a pacesetter in financial management.

    The government efforts to transform the state into a harmonious environment conducive for living, especially in the core areas are ongoing. The project will cover one kilometre radius of the selected ancient cities of Ile-Ife, Ilesha, Osogbo, Ikirun, Ila Ejigbo, Ede,Iwo and Ikire. Osogbo the state capital has been upgraded to the extent that the opposition now enviously accuse the government of concentrating development in the state capital – an allegation that is far from the truth. The government has negotiated with the UN-Habitat with counterpart fund of N100 million naira.

    The reality on ground today is that the governor has done what no governor has done since the creation of the state in the past 21 years. History will surely remember him as a man of vision and purpose who gave his best to transform his people from the wretchedness to prosperous living.

  • Saraki: A life dedicated to the people

    There will be celebrations today in a number of places across Kwara State and in several other locations across the globe as friends, family members, associates and followers of Dr. Bukola Saraki, the medical-doctor-turned- banker-turned- politician marks another milestone in the history of his biological existence.

    The unassailable fact is that Saraki today has become a celebration and issue in, and of, Nigeria. It is not possible again to write the history of Nigeria without making provision for the inputs and efforts of this pride of Kwara, the scion of the political dynasty established by the late Olusola Saraki, who in the second republic made waves as leader of the senate and astute political bridge-builder.

    Glaringly, from his contributions as Special Assistant on Budget to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to his two-term tenure as Governor of Kwara State and now to his seat in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly,  Saraki has impacted on the lives of Nigerians in very  many special ways. His achievements in Kwara State are unquestionable, both in the enhancement of the economic status of the north-central state and in the stability of the political structure of the state which has given Kwara a unique status in the comity of states across the nation.

    And if there was any doubt that with the departure of the founder of the Saraki dynasty  there would be rumblings and an eventual collapse of the political empire, the way the successor-leader has carried the affairs thus far has only shamed those with such expectations: the structure left behind by Oloye at Ile-Loke is waxing stronger and well positioned to continue the winning streak that Baba built into the system all through the years of his labour for the political and socio-economic upliftment of the people.

    Three things are worth celebrating about Saraki at a time like this. First is his unusual transformation into a legislative activist, through which he has deftly used the platform of his leadership of the Senate Committee on Ecology and Environment to make significant inroads into very many touchy areas of environmental degradation and abuse in several parts of the country that in years gone by would have been confined to just a few officials. The second is his management of the political empire he inherited, and which today has become a veritable tool for the political decision-making of Kwara State. The third, of course, will be his recent political moves which, along with others of like minds, have created history in Nigeria with the emergence of a potent opposition force and voice in determining the political future of Nigeria.

    Saraki the environmentalist is a legislator with passion for the well-being of people even far removed from his political constituency. His champion of the anti-lead poisoning campaign in Zamfara State, involvement with the review of oil spillage issues in the Niger Delta region, concern and public comments over erosion in several parts of the South-east and northern axis of the country as well as latest involvement in the campaign for Clean Cooking Initiative are all revelations of a Saraki many did not know. And why not, for as a governor of the north-central state, he surprised not a few with his many phenomenal programmes such as the innovative commercial farming initiative that has become a landmark for foreign investment in the sector in Nigeria.

    Little wonder he was appointed by Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves as a member of its leadership council in March. The council is a public-private partnership formed during the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2010 by the former United States Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton.

    What of his involvement in the campaign to enforce discipline in the oil sector? No, I am not talking of his robust, ground breaking motion on the investigation of dubious fuel subsidy regimes whose ripples are yet to settle in the corridors of economic and political powers in the land. I am rather speaking about his campaign to minimise oil spillage by enforcing international best practices in the sector, including appropriate punishment for offenders.

    As to how far he has managed the political leadership of the state and in particular the structure bequeathed to him by fate via his father, there is little to say he has not succeeded in the last one year. Take, as evidence, the fact that all his father’s political associates; men and women who influence the voting powers in the state, have come to his side. And this is attested to by the clear political victory his structure gained for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the last council election in the state. And now that he has decided to move into the All Progressive Congress (APC), who are those left behind in the PDP in Kwara? Political jobbers?

    This takes us right to the third issue: Saraki’s involvement in the emergence of a liberation force in Nigeria. Truth is when the issue is national interest, Saraki has always taken sometimes strange but bold decisions that eventually prove his wisdom and political sagacity. That was why despite his strong desire to contest the 2011 presidential ticket of the PDP, once the decision was taken to field Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Saraki fell in line with the national interest. At that time Nigerians wanted Jonathan and Saraki knew it. He followed the voice of the people. And now that Nigerians are yearning for a change to replace the divisive experimentations going on in the national polity as governance, Saraki has since heard the sound from the deep and joined with the voice of change.

    It is appropriate to celebrate this man. Not too long ago, a critic said this of him: “At the risk of stating the obvious, Saraki didn’t have to come into political office to make money. He was already made. As a credentialed young medical doctor, he was  executive director of a leading bank at a time his contemporaries were middle-level managers.  Even after he distinguished himself as presidential aide on budgeting, he could still have made a fortune if that was his driving force. Truth is, Saraki had a choice. He chose to serve his people rather than rise to the commanding heights of banking or becoming a national political gladiator. Clearly, he didn’t come into the game for the money but to contribute to Kwara’s development and serve its people. And the results speak for themselves.”

    Why didn’t I talk about his faults? Because there is no human without shortcomings but here in Kwara we have decided to look into and celebrate the many commendable sides of this great benefactor than to join the short-sighted critics who fail often even in the professional calling of a critic to wit; a critic must not see just the ugly side of the issue but point out the bright ones too.

    Happy birthday, Turaki.

    •Oba is chief press secretary to the Kwara State Governor. He wrote in from Ilorin.

  • Anambra governorship poll in retrospect

    SIR: In retrospect, the governorship election held on November 16 in Anambra State is a miscarriage in the electoral system. A disgrace to electioneering, a calamity for those who were directly involved, and by extension, a setback for this country.

    How long do we have to wait for our leaders to create a Nigeria of our dream? I mean, the type they go promising around each time they come begging for our votes?

    The momentousness of an event is lost in the welter of a thousand details. In my judgment, that election was an outrageously, manually and scientifically rigged process. Honestly, the fact that we have become a people without one voice against wrong doings due to lack of commitment towards national issues has become our undoing. If we cannot collectively and vocally reject wrong practices and say enough is enough, while putting our differences aside, our electoral system will never be beacon of hope. INEC alone is not to be blamed.

    Leaving voters disenfranchised as we saw in Anambra is a template of the big picture of what to expect in 2015 and truthfully, we are not shouting out loud enough against this sort of manipulative games. It is the cry of the Anambra people today; tomorrow it might just be anyone. We must learn to reject fraudulent election processes and results that negate the principles of democracy.

    If voters register displayed across a state for verification can be mutilated in less than two weeks to an election as we saw, Prof Jega honestly needs a lot of explaining to do.

    From INEC’s own admission, it is clear that they were unable to take charge in the state where registered voters are less than two million. This categorically shows that this present INEC is not ready to conduct the 2015 election where political parties in almost 30 states will be involved in scrambling for seats. As a matter of national emergency, Prof Attahiru Jega’s time as INEC boss I think should be up! A welcome overstayed is a common attribute with some of our leaders saddled with responsibilities and this has never been healthy for our democracy if history is anything to go by. But before he quits, he should unveil the unseen grandmaster, the manipulative finger that Nigerians are suspecting in the Anambra electoral game of Chess.

     

    • Ogbhemhe R. Iluogwikphe

    Warri, Delta State.

  • SOS to Governor Amosun

    SIR: In September, promotion examinations were conducted for Primary school teachers across board and throughout the length and breadth of Ogun State. Interviews followed subsequently. Promptly, results of the promotion exercise came out last month. And to the amazement of some of us, our results were not released. We thought it was an oversight.

    Later, what came to light was that the mass of the non promoted teachers were those of us who are non-indigenes with majority from the contiguous states of Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo and Edo. This has never happened before now and it is our belief and hope that it would not happen during this present dispensation whose creed has been JUSTICE to all without discrimination.

    We hear from the grapevine that the governor was unhappy with the development and has ordered the rectification of this anomaly. What baffles us is that some officials whose duty it is to carry out this simple task seem to be dragging their feet. We feel very concerned because some of us are married to Ogun indigenes and besides, we are people of the same race who have been contributing to the sociological growth of Ogun State.

    That’s why we are pleading once again with our father, the governor of Ogun State to see through his directive for the release of our promotion. May God continue to bless the governor in particular and Ogun State in general.

    • Aderibigbe Adedoyin

    Abeokuta

  • Presidency prayers

    Thanks to an observant newspaper correspondent who covers activities at Aso Rock, the hallowed seat of the presidency, Nigerians now have an idea of the quality of prayers that the country’s leaders and their sycophantic crowd send out to Almighty God. In the first place, it is reassuring that these creatures of comfort still recognise the supremacy of the divine. Although judging by the manner in which they routinely behave, particularly their passionate worship of mammon, many of their disadvantaged compatriots outside the power loop had long concluded that their hearts were far from heaven. So self-absorbed and distant from the very people they were elected to serve, they were no examples of godliness. Apart from these, they were noticeably used to playing God and throwing their weight around in obscene exhibitions of crude power.

    So what a pleasant surprise it was to learn of the existence of a publication called “Prayer Guide for Nigeria”, which is reportedly used for “intercessory prayers” at the Aso Villa Chapel. The identity of the publisher is unclear, said Olalekan Adetayo of PUNCH, who reported that the booklet “is being used to pray there with free copies made available to worshippers.” The reporter gave a revealing insight into the contents of the December 2013 edition of the prayer guide. By the way, it may be important to note that President Goodluck Jonathan is a Christian.

    Disappointingly, among the prayer points listed for Monday, December 2, according to the source, was this extremely self-serving one : “Pray that the crises rocking the ruling party, the PDP, will not mar the party’s chances of victory in the 2015 general elections to enable the present administration to continue the transformation agenda (Zechariah 4 :9)” Isn’t it amusing that a so-called transformation agenda that is high on talk but low on deeds could be mistaken for the divine wish for the country’s underprivileged multitude? It seems that this prayer point is deceitfully worded. Precisely, it would appear that this was more about continuing the agenda of moving on to multiplication of personal wealth.

    Two other prayer points taken from the guide show the pattern of supplication in government. Consider this: “Thank God for the approval of the $100 million loan from the Indian Import-Export Bank for Cross River, Enugu and Kaduna states to address power infrastructure by the Federal Executive Council.” Then this: “Thank God for the $300 million loan from the International Development Association to boost the country’s mortgage sector as approved by the Federal Executive Council.”

    Of course, it is good to express thanks to God for provision, but the Nigerian experience sadly demonstrates that it is never certain that a major part of the funds won’t end up fraudulently in private pockets. Such reality, unfortunately, continues to hamper the country’s development and progress.

    The truth is that if the powerful were sincerely in tune with the dictates of the divine, with all the implications of selfless service, honest and dedicated attention to social needs, non-violent conduct and the pursuit of peace, among others, this country would not be stagnating in incredible under-development.

    Given the pervasive and intense religious competition across the land, it won’t be surprising to learn that Muslims in government also have their own version of “Prayer Guide for Nigeria.” Vice President Namadi Sambo is a Muslim, after all. Perhaps if the indigenous religions also enjoyed the limelight, there would be similar programmes in their spheres.

    The situation can be defined thus: So much religionism; but so little righteousness. How fruitful it would have been if the reverse were the case. Well, there is no harm in praying for “transformation”, is there?

  • Africa’s plague of superstition

    SIR: One can count every African as a heathen.  The soul of the continent emanated from an Afro-centric mysticism.  It appears no other spiritual force has supplanted this core belief.  Above statement may sound preposterous in the face of a multiplicity of foreign religions spreading over the African sky.  Dig deep into the soul of many Africans and you will find that superstition may be buried but it is not dead.

    Be he a pastor or an imam, an intellectual or a layman at the essence of his humanness is reverence for the deities of his ancestors.  One will struggle to find the basis to dispute this assumption.  Enlightenment in modern civilization has not dispelled the fear of voodoo forces among our people.  It is a common reproach that one should not dabble into what one does not know.  One can hear this aphorism in every stratum of the society.

    The gods of the Africans is not inherently bad irrespective of the negative image that foreign invaders like to cast over the pagans.  The fundamental precepts of morality bound the worshippers just like in any other religion.  The form of worship may differ according to the customs of the people, the doctrine is adaptable to the changing time.  Human sacrifice is today an abomination while in the past it was a ritual for atonement.

    A look into the classic books may discover that Europe in the time of William Shakespeare was not different from Africa in their belief in witches and wizards.  The turning point for them to modernization must have been orchestrated by the industrial revolution.  Perhaps one can make the conclusion that the pervasive impact of superstition is fuelled by extreme deprivation.  Folks have to abandon the gods of their ancestors to embrace the gods of materialism.

    One has to be daring and say that in a developing society certain aspects of African mysticism are retrogressive. The overarching mindset in the continent, regardless of one’s religion, could be depressing.  A situation where priests and their congregation went to a road intersection to pray to subdue the evil spirit is primitive.  It is believed that there is an oracle that feeds on blood that dwells at the intersection and causes motorists to have fatal accidents.  One wonders if a simple traffic light could not control vehicular movements and minimize the rate of accidents.

    Superstition is intrinsic in human nature.  To the extent that enlightenment can be viewed as advancement into another form of superstition.  What is religion but, summarily, belief in what one cannot understand.  Dismissing African mysticism will create a spiritual conflict for an African.  One cannot run away from one’s shadow.  As the world evolves through human development, one should be bold to dump the relics from the past that are dragging progress down.  Challenge the gods when reason compels for the betterment of society.  Like Europe, one hopes improvement in the standard of living in Africa will elevate spiritual consciousness.  Africa must conquer the plague of superstition.

     

    • Pius Okaneme

    Umuoji, Anambra State.

  • After ASUU, don’t forget ASUP

    After ASUU, don’t forget ASUP

    SIR: The long waited suspension of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has finally come. Students of federal and state owned universities can now go back to school after 170 days of strike by their teachers. But still, it is not yet over.

    Our brothers, sisters, friends and colleagues in the polytechnics are still at home. They have not been in class since October 4. This is as a result of the resolve of Academic Staff Union of the Polytechnics (ASUP) not to return to class until the constitution of governing councils for the polytechnics, release of white paper on the visitation panels to federal government and the commencement of NEEDS assessment of the polytechnics.

    Other demands/grouses of the polytechnic teachers are the halting the appointment of unqualified persons as rectors and provost by some state government, failure of government to implement the approved salary package(CONPCASS), 65-year retirement age for the members, the worrisome state of state owned polytechnics, the continued recognition of the National Board of Technical Education as the regulatory body of the Nigerian polytechnics as against the unions’ repeated call for the establishment of National Polytechnic Commission(NPC), the non commencement of the re-negotiation of the FGN/ASUP agreement as contained in the signed agreement, the snail speed on works on the amendment of the federal polytechnic Act/scheme of service and migration of the lower cadre to CONTISS salary scale.

    Indeed, these issues need not shoved aside nor left unattended. The continuous stay of students at home is uncalled for. These young minds are delayed from progressing.

    It will be recalled that ASUP embarked on strike on April 29. The strike lasted for 81 days before the intervention of the joint committees on education in the National Assembly. The strike was suspended for one month in order to address the issues.

    As a result of the failure to address the issues, the strike resumed on October 4. Till date, nothing has been heard on the strike.

    Education at whatever level is pertinent to society development. No level need receive attention more than the other. If it happens, the result would be an unbalanced scale in our hands. A scale where graduates of universities are perceived to perform better than their polytechnic counterparts. A scale where there is segregation and discrimination; a scale where polytechnic graduates are treated as second-hand citizens. Are these meant to be so?

    Over N400 billion was allocated to the entire education sector in 2012. Out of these, federal polytechnics got N63.7 billion, representing 15.92 percent, while federal colleges of education got N42.5 billion which represented 10.62 percent. But federal universities got N188.4 billion representing 47.10 percent – in other words, the university sector alone received twice of what was allocated to the polytechnics and colleges of education.

    Even as the needful has been done for the universities, same hand needed to be extended to the polytechnics. Government, do the needful; the students are anxious to resume their studies.

    • Kelechi Amakoh

    University of Lagos