“One does not fight to save another person’s head only to have a kite carry one’s own away”
—A Yoruba proverb
As the Academic Staff Union of
Universities’ industrial action entered its sixth month last Sunday,
December 1, 2013, my mind went straight to Ola Rotimi’s Kurunmi,
in which the Tortoise’s obstinacy was retold: Sensing that Tortoise
persisted on a senseless journey, he was asked: “Brother Tortoise, when
will you be wise and come back home?” The Tortoise replied, “Not until l
have been disgraced, …disgraced,…not until l have been disgraced”.
Tortoise and the legendary Alaseju must have been created from the same mould. Instead of heeding advice, Alaseju pursued his goal to the point of self-destruction.
Even before ASUU’s strike entered its
sixth month on December 1, 2013, the public had started to sing an
adaptation of the famous Beatles song: All we are say…ing, go back to
work. From the beginning, public opinion did not favour a strike, let
alone a protracted one, partly because strikes have become a tired and
worn-out strategy associated with ASUU and partly because it would put
innocent students in jeopardy (again!). It really has become a despised
method of seeking redress, especially by university lecturers, in
advanced societies.
Nevertheless, ASUU initially drew
sympathy from some quarters, including me, particularly because of its
main excuse that it was fighting for the students, that is, for the
provision of appropriate facilities in order to enhance the quality of
their education. No one who has visited any of our premier universities
lately or read the Needs Assessment of Universities would quarrel with
ASUU’s excuse. That’s why, at the initial stage, the Federal Government
was seen as the enemy of progress. Implement the 2009 Agreement and the
Memorandum of Understanding signed with ASUU, yelled some observers at
the Federal Government.
As the strike action lingered beyond this
point, more and more commentators began to call on ASUU to end the
strike, if only for the sake of the students and their parents. Many a
university Vice-Chancellor also appealed to ASUU leaders to resume work
but they insisted that the strike must continue. However, in the process
of fighting to save the students’ heads, ASUU leaders have allowed
their own heads to be carried away by kites. As the Federal Government
issued an ultimatum for lecturers to resume work, the kites lowered the
altitude of their flight for a better view of their prey.
Funke Egbemode’s commentary on this part
of the story is instructive: “Now, seriously, ASUU should call off this
strike or do what the FG has commanded. This handshake has gone beyond
the elbow. When a President sits with a union for 13 hours to resolve an
impasse and the union sticks to its gun, you know the end won’t be in
favour of the union” (Sun, December 1, 2013).
Let me draw on a local experience to
illustrate this point. At Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, the
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olufemi Mimiko, was initially sympathetic
with the union but was concerned about graduating students, who needed
to proceed on their NYSC service. So, he appealed to Senior Professors
on contract, who, by the nature of their appointment, are not members of
ASUU, to serve on an Ad Hoc Committee of Senate to complete the
processing of the graduating students’ results. In sympathy with the
striking ASUU members on campus, the Committee chose to meet outside
campus and relied on Faculty Officers and other administrators to
provide necessary data.
Yet, the Chairman of the local ASUU
chapter, Dr. Busuyi Mekusi, still found it necessary to write a cheeky
letter, insulting those who served on the committee. Moreover, he would
not allow other ASUU members to provide necessary information to the
committee. His posture during the strike is symbolic of that of the
entire ASUU leadership, which castigated the institutions that opened
their doors for lecturers for one serious business or the other during
the strike.
What will ASUU do now that some
universities have recalled their students and invited willing lecturers
to resume work? Which part of the cutlas will ASUU now hold that the
Federal Government has decided to hold firmly to the handle and even to
brandish it? Finally, what sacrifice is ASUU willing to make, having
held the students to ransom for over five months and screwed the
universities’ academic calendars? Is forfeiture of four months salary a
just sacrifice?
It is clear that the options are limited,
because ASUU has disregarded core supporters, who could plead its
cause, and despised even its employers. Asked to make a sacrifice, ASUU
has behaved either like Tortoise, who refused to offer a sacrifice, or
like Alaseju, who carried the sacrifice beyond the mosque, as the
saying goes. Perhaps the wisest option left is to go back to work and
continue negotiation with the government. In fact, if I were ASUU’s
president, I would have persuaded my colleagues to go back to work in
honour of Professor Iyayi, who died on his way to Kano to attend a
possibly consummating meeting. I doubt if he would have committed his
life to a fruitless venture, which ASUU’s obstinate pursuit of the
strike is now turning out to be.
This is not to say that the Federal
Government is off the hook. Not at all. It cannot and should not shirk
its responsibility of providing quality education to its citizens. Many
believe that it is still possible for the Federal Government to explore
various sources, including accumulated funds in the Tertiary Education
Trust Fund and unspent budget funds in various Ministries, Departments
and Agencies. The Needs Assessment Report produced by the Federal
Government is a document of conscience. No government, which aims at
providing quality education, should run away from its 189
recommendations to which funding is central.
SOURCE-www.punchng.com
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