Who will save our public universities now?

Within the last three years, I’ve written on Nigeria’s government-owned universities more than any other topic. The most recent one appeared only two months ago titled, “Before the Next ASUU Strike”. Apart from being critical to the general social, economic and political development of the country, this interest is also rooted in my own personal journey. I obtained my first degree from a federal university in the 1980s and later bagged my postgraduate degrees from another federal university. Both institutions are in the first-generation category. Fate then guided me to yet another publicly-owned university where I lecture at the moment.

So, for me, issues relating to the sector shouldn’t be pushed aside. Only last Tuesday, the federal government hurriedly put together a committee to negotiate with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the numerous, long-standing grievances of the academics. That was in direct reaction to the high possibility of a nationwide strike. Persons who view that action as a cunning, time-buying device are justified as the government hasn’t done anything worthwhile to earn respect and trust in this regard.

As in other areas of public life, President Bola Tinubu arrived the scene with plenty of promises concerning higher education which, according to him, was to enjoy his personal attention and the focus of his government. But that anticipated new dawn has now whittled down substantially under his watch. Two ultimatums by ASUU have died in quick succession without the heavens falling. In August this year, the union issued a 21-day notice in readiness for a potential industrial action. On its expiration, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, then met with the ASUU leadership on August 28 and September 6 in order to prevent any strike. That effort produced a subcommittee to investigate the demands of the unionists.

The lecturers’ review of that move confirmed the suspicions of sector watchers about government’s insincerity of purpose, an environment that yielded the second ultimatum which ended on October 6. As usual, ASUU directed its branches to deliberate on the predicaments it has been enmeshed in over the years for onward transmission to its National Executive Council (NEC), the organ responsible for ratifying whatever decisions are reached by the various chapters. Again, this latest response of government is clearly a strategic attempt at delaying what has now become predictable with the university body. Sadly, though, critics often accuse the dons of jumping at every opportunity to leave the classroom.

But a dispassionate examination of this rancorous employer-worker relationship would show that the matter is not always straightforward. Of course, excesses are no strangers to trade unionism all over the world. It’s not out of place to see workers make demands that are not in consonance with the socio-economic realities of their societies or countries. In other words, being outrageous in employee expectations isn’t completely out of character. And ASUU can’t seriously absolve itself of some of these superfluities.

Some of its leaders still speak in these contemporary times like people operating under the moribund era of Marxism and Socialism. Or, during the period of Nigeria’s political past when the military held sway, when the unitary system of government also meant that most of the universities then were owned and funded by the government at the centre, when the Big Daddy in Dodan Barracks in Lagos ensured that the staff and students of those relatively few and revered academic havens truly stood out and were the envy of their compatriots. The retrogressive mindset of such officials which fails to take into account the present national challenges and democratic structures has, therefore, not helped in furthering the causes of ASUU, many of which are legitimate and selfless.

The flipside is also not laudatory, however. Across the table are government officials, mainly political office holders who haven’t sufficiently demonstrated patriotism in their own conduct of public affairs but demand same and even much more from the teachers. Over time, they’ve shown more interest in casting the agitators in bad light, notably in the estimation of students and their parents, and have succeeded to an extent. It is to the discredit of the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari that ASUU had arguably one of its worst deals. That administration presided over the last marathon strike that ended in October 2022 in obedience to the ruling of the industrial court on the case.

The ripples of that grueling experience principally in the form of withheld salaries are yet to settle. Not long after its inception, the Tinubu government paid part of the burden it inherited from its predecessor, probably as a mark of goodwill and friendship. But the remainder has now assumed the status of an albatross, one of the stumbling blocks to the peaceful atmosphere on our campuses.

It is hard to fault President Tinubu on pledges and claims. Last weekend at the first to fifth convocation ceremony of the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi (FUBK), he voiced what should ordinarily gladden the hearts of lovers of tertiary education, especially university. As he put it, “Government is not unaware of the infrastructural deficit in the education sector, particularly in the universities. In view of this, deliberate and sincere efforts are being made to address these challenges in order to guarantee the provision of quality education. It is in this regard that this administration has increased budgetary allocation to education because of the importance it attached to the sector.”

The commitment is neither here nor there. Decisive action is never as cheap as words. ASUU’s sore points which are in the open can only be solved by official pragmatism. The executive and legislative arms must take on the responsibility of rescuing the public universities from more damage. The National Assembly’s positioning as an arbiter between the union and the executive is ridiculous, quite frankly. After all, the chunk of the weight borne by the academic staff ought to have been shouldered all along by the legislators who may have to be tutored on the centrality of learning at the highest level to the overall wellbeing of the country.

The Punch Editorial Board opinion of October 15, 2024 titled, “FG Should Honour the Agreement with ASUU”, couldn’t have put it any better: “While the government’s stony silence echoes, lecturers across the country, many of whom have families to cater to, are needlessly subjected to the harsh grip of economic hardship, financial difficulties, poor welfare, and an inability to afford healthcare. It will be unfortunate if the Federal Government, like in previous years, allows ASUU to embark on a strike that will shut down the system. The Federal Government should demonstrate its priority for education and honour the agreement it has with ASUU. The government should start by cutting down on luxuries and waste elsewhere to clear the unpaid lecturers’ salaries.”

It is bad enough that allowing the climate on our campuses to degenerate to needless frequent down-tooling has taken some shine off the noble profession of lecturing. We’re now faced with the reality of the worsening of this discomfiting situation. No government worth its name should have as a goal a deliberate design to subdue or conquer the spirit of workers, least of all, people entrusted with the tasks of the moulding of minds and impartation of knowledge. The main reason being that getting the best out of any personnel can’t be achieved through any legislation alone. While the same argument can be made for many other careers, those in the ivory towers are peculiar as they can be described, arguably, as the key custodians of the expertise that powers the rest occupations. These lecturers are that unique.

Ekpe, PhD, is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board.