With the Academic Staff Union Of Universities, ASUU, and the federal government still at loggerheads, the Minister of state for education, Emeka Nwajiuba recently stated that it makes no sense for striking members of ASUU to continue to earn salaries, while on strike.
In a telephone interview with Punch newspaper, these were the words of the minister; “The lecturers have continued to earn salaries while on strike, it doesn’t make sense to earn salaries when you have refused to work. If you refuse to even pay them, by the time they call off the strike, they will still come back to fight for the payment of the period they refused to work”.
It’s disheartening to note that education in Nigeria has been plunged into a mess. It’s high time the government pays ASUU what they owe them so that University students can return to classes to continue with their learning. Paying ASUU striking members while they are on strike, just makes the strike ineffective. When lecturers are being paid despite not teaching students, they will feel reluctant to return to the classroom.
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The same Minister of Education for the state, Mr. Emeka Nwajiuba was under fire by Nigerians for purchasing the All Progressive Party, APC nomination form, which was put at a whopping fee of 100 million nairas. He was questioned for showing interest in the country’s top job, yet his performance in the educational sector has been abysmal, following the failure to resolve the ASUU strike. This is a clear case of “putting the cart before the horse”.
The minister ought to have resolved the ASUU strike crisis before deciding to make declarations to contest for the office of the president. One will continue to wonder what the priority of the Education minister is, and what legacy he wants to build when he has let down a lot of Nigerian students.
I am perplexed by the way some Nigerian politicians reason, because how can you perform poorly in a certain position, and yet still hope to garner votes to occupy the office of a president? It is impossible because you must, first of all, earn the trust and support of the populace by doing the right thing, before going out to contest for other top positions.
With the declarations of presidential ambitions by the Education Minister and other Nigerian politicians, it is very clear that the government pays attention to frivolous things and personal ambitions, rather than solving pressing issues as well as alleviating the plight of the citizens. They only give attention to what matters most to them, with lots of added benefits.
Displeased with Emeka Nwajiuba’s statement on the “no-work no-pay” policy, the president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke has stated that the federal government’s plan to use the no-work no-pay policy will not deter them from demanding their rights as well as ending their ongoing strike action.
He further stated that the federal government feels denying ASUU members pay will make them go hungry and prompt them to call off the strike, rather it would destroy the country’s educational system and encourage migration among many lecturers. A case study of what happened to many Nigerian Doctors who migrated to saner climes after incessant strike actions.
The federal government must understand that Education is the bedrock of a society, therefore it should be treated as a high priority and properly funded. A poor educational system in a country destroys the human capital which takes a toll on the economy.
The future of Nigerian youths continues to be jeopardized with incessant strike actions, to the detriment of their future, due to the government’s selfish desires. The no-pay policy is not the way to resolve the strike action, rather it will worsen things. It’s high time the federal government calls ASUU to a negotiation table and meets its demands. If its minister of state for education can roll out 100 million to purchase a nomination form, it should therefore not be a big deal for the federal government to pay ASUU the debt they owe them.