- By Professor Tunji Oyelade
Sir: It is no longer news that ASUU won a landslide victory regarding the issue of the Integrated Payment and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), a battle which had been on for most part of Buhari’s government and of course, inherited by the Tinubu government.
From the inception of the IPPIS, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), like Nostradamus, opposed it vehemently having foreseen the flaws and dangers inherent in it. ASUU was vilified and victimised by both government of that day and the entire citizenry, except the few that could see reason with ASUU. Then there arose splinter groups of ASUU that thought they could ride on the wings of the government and majority of the people to soar to limelight and purchase sympathies.
The Buhari government could easily be seen as a government that thrived on obstinacy, intimidation and the will to crush oppositions in whatever form, forgetting that we are not in the era of military regimes where they suspend the constitution and churn out decrees as if producing ‘pure’ water. That government also thrived on using some persons who did not necessarily understand governance or the demands of their offices, to occupy those offices.
Imagine putting someone who had no flair at all or have aversion for education, to occupy such an office? Imagine putting someone who disdainfully and devoid of any sympathy for the plight of the masses in the labour force, to occupy such position to resolve labour issues?
Can any good thing come forth from such Nazareth?
Fast forward to less than a year now; we have another government in place. Though one had argued and still arguing that, governments in Nigeria are like the five fingers of a leprous hand (apologies to late Bola Ige), but there are instances where all the five fingers may not have been infected.
That is the situation on ground now with the Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government. It is not a perfect government – not at all. We are all feeling the pang. The pain is gradually creeping to the neck. Everyone is crying out for help from above. The truth however is that we should be practical and hold our government responsible for our woes if we must move forward.
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This government has demonstrated her ability to listen and do all that should cushion the effects of their harsh policies, which are not yielding results yet. We hope they do very fast though. I shall commend the government on her steps to revamp especially, the education system by first putting square pegs in square holes. That is by putting competence before any other considerations in the education sector.
The choice of Professor Tahir Mamman Nasir, SAN, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN and others as ministers, shows some seriousness on the part of this government.
I mean, these are people of integrity, who do not need the government for anything, except be allowed a conducive environment to their jobs. They cannot be intimidated. They have achieved and at the very zenith of their professions.
Such people want to do right for the general good and are doing it.
The issue of IPPIS comes to mind. Tahir Mamman Nasir, a top notch academic, who had spent most of his years moulding and building younger minds, understood what academic is and will not go to war with his constituency, has definitely achieved a milestone in resolving one of the issues of ASUU. He actually started with the issue of the withheld salaries. We believe he is not keeping quiet on that too.
I wish him more powers to his elbows, to be able to return the glory that the academia and the academics once had.
When square pegs are put in square holes, they fit tightly.
•Professor Tunji Oyelade,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.