Numerous are the plights plaguing the state of the nation which are of public concern today. Is it the insecurity that has eaten deep into the fabric of this country, inflation or ASUU/ASUP incessant strikes, which are caused by maladministration?
Considering the justification for the strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), it is pertinent to recall that ASUU strike is not a sudden action and operates not in Isolation but is rooted deeply in the Federal Government’s agreement with the union which has not been met.
Even though the ASUU strike is fast becoming unbearable, it is significant to note that the Federal Government is the major determinant of this based on its negligence towards the core demand of the board.
However, the ASUU strike, to an unimaginable proportion, is having a great effect on the academic excellence of Nigeria’s university undergraduates. More so, the Nigeria educational system is gradually waning below considerable standard, owing to the fact that Nigerian students are losing hope in the functionality of Nigeria’s education system, as even ASUP is not left out of this.
The ASUU strike is justified on the basis that the Federal Government never for once attended to the demands of the ASUU body satisfactorily: Nigerian university lecturers’ salaries have since 2009 remained the same while the government has repeatedly promised an increment. The abandonment by the Nigerian government of UTAS (Universities Transparency & Accountability Solutions) for IPPIS (Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System) still remains a bone of contention.
One might ask if there is an effective panacea to the ASUU/FGN imbroglio, yet it boils down to a single fact that government needs nothing than attend to the agreement reached between government and ASUU. It seems that ASUU brags on having nothing to lose while Nigeria’s university undergraduates languish academically. ASUU is on the right track, though at the expense of the students› consideration or academic excellence.
Olanrewaju Deborah Tosin, Kwara
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