The Nation Newspaper

Tag: The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)

  • The image question

    The image question

    This is one of the main areas the new ASUU leadership must work on

    We congratulate the newly-elected President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Chris Piwuna. Professor Piwuna is a Professor of Medicine and Consultant Psychiatrist at the University of Jos, a former Head of the Psychiatry Unit of the University of Jos Teaching Hospital, and dean of students affairs in the university.

    He succeeds Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, to whom he was national vice president.

    Professor Piwuna emerged as the new president at an election held at the University of Benin on May 11, at the 23rd National Delegates Conference of ASUU.

    It is noteworthy that there are no reports of acrimony arising from the election, and this positive development cannot be taken for granted, considering the experience from such elections in some other associations. For this, ASUU deserves commendation.

    Professor Piwuna takes over at a time when ASUU is faced with a myriad of problems.

    First is the issue of image. ASUU has come to acquire the image of a strike-prone and strike-enjoying academic union. Therefore, one of the most critical tasks facing the new president is to create a more endearing image for the union.

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    This should not be difficult because ASUU is a repository of experts and professionals in different fields who should be able to design effective strategies for achieving the union’s noble goals without resorting to the tired cliché that “strike is the only language that government understands.”

    In fact, anytime ASUU has to take refuge in that cliché, it would be inadvertently admitting that it has failed in its primary mandate of generating ideas for the nation.

    Second, in agitating for what it believes to be right, the union should pay close attention to the constitution of the country. For example, though it is logical to counsel that new universities should not be created by the different levels of government in the country, if existing ones have issues, it was problematic to make it an item on the union’s demand from the Federal Government, as happened in the 2022 ASUU strike. The creation of universities is in the concurrent list in the 1999 constitution, as amended.

    Third, university autonomy is being blatantly undermined with respect to the imposition of curricula on Nigerian universities by the National Universities Commission (NUC). According to the laws establishing our universities, the senate of each university is the authority vested with the power to determine curricula. The Piwuna leadership therefore has the challenge of working methodically with other stakeholders within the universities to roll back or stop the further erosion of curricula autonomy.

    Fourth, it has been observed that the partisan or excessive involvement of the leadership of ASUU in vice-chancellorship contests has created different kinds of problems for the union on different campuses. This calls for the exercise of due restraint by the union or its leadership, going forward; to prevent further destabilisation or demotivation of members of the union.

    Fifth, questions have been raised about the undermining of the democratic culture by the national leadership of ASUU. This has been said to be related with the mindset that only members with communist or leftist orientation are suitable for the leadership of the union. This has alienated some members of the union, leading to the creation of a cabal and the narrowing of leadership vision. It has also created a situation in which government is unconditionally perceived as an enemy. This has created avoidable rifts between the union and the government, to the detriment of the university system as a whole. This set of problems needs to be addressed effectively. 

    Sixth, there has been intractable disharmony in ASUU which has led to the formation of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) as alternative academic unions in the Nigerian university system. Since ASUU has had the opportunity to challenge the registration of these new associations in court, and the court has ruled in favour of their existence, ASUU should work together with them to advance the cause of university education in the country.

    In this regard, it is gratifying that the President of CONUA, Dr. ‘Niyi Sunmonu, has congratulated the new President of ASUU on his election.

    Seventh, it is unfortunate that the remuneration of academic staff of Nigerian universities has slid remarkably, making their salaries uncompetitive globally, and denying Nigerian universities the diversity in staffing and studentship that they used to enjoy. This problem requires that the union should properly prioritise members’ welfare in their agitations for the improvement of the condition of the universities.

    Finally, the intelligentsia is the engine house of ideas for propelling development. The new leadership of ASUU should regularly assess the extent to which it is effectively playing this role in Nigeria.      

  • ASUU and horrid pastime

    ASUU and horrid pastime

    Hooray!  Our dons are at their favorite pastime again — declaring glorious strikes as they are wont to do!  (Applause!  Applause!).

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on September 25, issued its latest 14-day ultimatum to declare a strike.  Magnanimously, the dons’ 15-day top-up was after an earlier 30-day notice. 

    The ASUU statement said the deadline was to wean the Federal Government off its delay tactics, over negotiated but inconclusive issues, that drag on and on!  Well, you can’t blame the old and tested strikes heroes, can you?  This government — indeed every Nigerian government — only understands one language: threat or force!

    Still, anyone should be alarmed that an academic union, whose forte should be reason, is always so gung-ho over going on strikes.  What do logicians say about threats?  Is it not when you’re worsted by facts and logic that you resort to threats? 

    So, shouldn’t the rest of us be worried that the reflex of Nigeria’s bastion of reason is threat — threat of strikes that yielded pretty little in the past — because their majesties, the dons, couldn’t — and still can’t — think out of the box of ready strikes?

    Still, give the devil its due.  There are always two sides to a story.  In truth, Nigerian governments have not entirely been earnest with ASUU — in negotiations and in implemented agreements — even after ASUU jumbo strikes.  That’s to be decried.

    But ASUU’s main problem is their infinite faith in strikes — and their pleasure to often weaponize it with gusto — even when its positive impact had been minimal, supremely confident they would get paid for strikes, no matter how long they do.

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    Which is why they’d threaten to trot out on another because the Buhari government called their bluff by invoking the no-work-no-pay rule, which by Labour laws is legal and legitimate.  Though the Tinubu government compassionately paid part of that unearned money, ASUU would still cite “withheld salaries” as justification!  What gracelessness!  What rabid fixation!

    Talking of fixations, ASUU would stick to “renegotiating” a 2009 agreement, instead of putting forward fresh ideas close to economic realities today? Does that even make sense?

    Well, the Federal Government must do its duty; and fairly address ASUU’s grievances. In truth, the government can do far better implementing, to the letter, agreements with the union.  But that should start with resisting any agreement it cannot implement, no matter the immediate pressure.

    Much more: it should break this sickly cycle of ASUU bully tactics — that brazen right not to work but insist on getting paid.  This ruinous strike reflex must stop. 

    Dons are paid to teach and mould students, not to become vile power and principalities that make youths’ university experience nasty and retard their future.