ASUU wants FG to adopt research-based strategy for insecurity

Academic Staff Union Universities (ASUU) has advised the federal government to change its approach towards the fight against insurgency in Nigeria and adopt research-based strategy.

The union gave the advice at a public lecture and town hall meeting it held at the ASUU Secretariat at the permanent site of University of Jos on Monday.

Speaking on the theme “Exploring radical remedies for the roots of pervasive insecurity in contemporary Nigeria” the union’s trustee and past ASUU Chairman, Prof Assisi Asobie, who said combating pervasive insecurity is possible added that it requires the interaction of the Nigerian working class in alliance with university based research institute constantly engaged with it as a pressure group using accumulated research knowledge over time.

“The alliance between the working class and workers should lead to an engagement with selected wing of business community and state official.

“A three-sided collaboration of workers backed by the universities, the business community and state officials will provide a good bases for charting a viable strategy for addressing the identified roots of the three main source of pervasive insecurity in Nigeria,” he said.

Asobie said that the relegation of Nigeria universities to the background by the government, which has resulted in persistent strike actions by lecturers, has made the citadel of learning unable to produce necessary research to combat insecurity in the country.

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According to him, the Nigeria state has not yet earned the monopoly of the legitimacy of the possession, control, and use of the instruments of coercion in the society.

His words: “Moreover, the Nigeria state lacks relative autonomy; its dominant class, an alliance of indigenous middlemen or communization agents and foreign merchants and speculative investors is not independent of social groups and heir parochial interests, and criminal activities. It is therefore unable to enforce the law of the land against criminality.

“Also, Nigerian economy is a casino capitalist economy embedded in a globalizing world capitalist system. It therefore partakes of certain features of this contemporary globalization which make it promotional of criminality and therefore insecurity.”

He said that enduring solution to pervasive insecurity in contemporary Nigeria can only found by addressing its roots, adding that the three main sources of insecurity have some common roots. “They are the nature of the Nigerian state, the nature of the Nigerian economy, and the Nigeria social order and its legal order or justice system.”

Also speaking, Vice-Chancellor of UNIJOS, Prof Tanko Ishaya, said that the funding model for higher education in the country is completely flawed, and cannot take the country far. He commended the former leaders of the union that fought hard to achieve TETFund that has helped the public universities in diverse ways.

The Vice Chancellor assured ASUU of the commitment of the University towards providing the enabling environment to advance their welfare.

Present at the lecture were former and current National Chairmen of ASUU including Prof. Fagge, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi and Prof Emmanuel Osodeke. Zonal and chapter chairmen of the union from across the country were equally present.