Gladiators, sabre –rattling and the future of Nigeria’s youth

The long drawn contest between academic staff of Nigeria’s public universities and the federal government over issues of emoluments, conditions of service and state of infrastructure in the universities has no doubt made thousands of students idle, confused and frustrated. What is more worrisome is that the parties in contest are apparently unconcerned about the fate of the students and their future capacity to compete effectively in the global marketplace.

Nigeria’s public university system has been a prisoner of inefficiency. It has deteriorated into a ineffective institution replete with decrepit infrastructure, diminishing capacity of teaching faculty, poor research accomplishments and a student population desirous only of certification and not learning.

Analysts do believe that the journey to the present state of affairs in the public university system started way back in the mid 1980s as the Nigerian military class commenced a stifling scheme of intellectualism by reducing funding that created low morale both for teaching and learning in the public university system.

The current strike, and several others in past, have distracted the attention of the public to what is inherently wrong with our public universities. These problems cannot be solved with indefinite strikes and insincere negotiations. An implacable ASUU and an insensitive federal government are blinded by parochial. Neither of the parties is exhibiting sufficient patriotism.

Government is the more short-sighted of the two – politicians and their appointees have at least four years to perform. ASUU, on the other hand, is made up of people guaranteed with a job for life – lecturers retire at 65 while professors and readers stop lecturing at 70. Both are unaccountable to students, their real constituency. (18 to 35 year-olds are the largest demographic bracket in Nigeria).

ASUU and government can thus afford to treat Nigerians to an unjust, deleterious and detestable show of never-ending musical chairs. The 2 million Nigerian undergraduates and the millions of Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 25 who are unable to get admission are the suffering and smiling spectators.

If either ASUU or the government were true supporters of Nigeria they would tackle the inefficiency in our universities. Only a negligent government will sign an agreement, plan not to honour it until it is threatened by strike and then repeatedly borrow money to pay arrears earned by staff of a vital institution without demanding improvements.

We believe that it is not enough for ASUU to demand for increased funding for universities, these funds must also be well accounted for. They shouldn’t be like homing pigeons. Increased funding of the University system should translate into increased acquisition of necessary capacity by teaching faculty, pursuit of relevant research and appropriate town and gown synergies that would make Universities go beyond being mere ivory towers, and make their graduates relevant in the global work place.

For the sake of the dangling and largely unsure future of the teeming youths locked up in this long drawn contest of gladiators, we urge ASUU and the agents of the federal government to quickly carpet their ego and reach a workable compromise in an atmosphere devoid of threats and sabre-rattling. Anything short of this can only be seen as an insensitive disposition towards the needs of the youths of this country who are continually been made to realize that there is no concrete plan for their future well being.