JGN Onyekpe

JGN Onyekpe

As a staff union of intellectuals, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has, over the years, demonstrated an outstanding sense of responsibility in its handling of the lingering issue of federal government escapist disposition towards the Union’s patriotic demand for enhanced funding of the varsities and improvement in the emoluments and working conditions of the academic staff.

ASUU leadership deserves the commendation of whole society for the high-level professionalism it has unwaveringly applied to its engagements with the government. It is unfortunate indeed, that the federal government has remained recalcitrant and insensately insensitive in its response to the demands of the academic staff union.

The issues are clear enough, yet the government and its agents and trumpeters have chosen, and remained ossified in their ignoble choice, to rigidly stand, in situ, on a pedestal constructed with the mixture of sophistry, subterfuge, and propaganda.

ASUU leadership has given their all to the cause of the nation’s university system. Just as the members have done!

ASUU leaders at all levels, Branch, Zonal, and National, have most painstakingly managed the growing restiveness of demotivated and demoralised members in the hope that the government would address the lingering issues of dual poverty of the varsities; poverty of the institutions in terms of infrastructure and facilities, and poverty of the staff in terms of earnings and welfare.

The latest release from ASUU-National, dated September 23, 2024 has revealed, to the chagrin of members, that, contrary to the “new thinking” or “renewed hope”, the government has not shown any serious commitment to resolving the issues that must be resolved for the nation’s university system as a precondition for its survival.

Over the last three months, before the new release, ASUU leadership had assured members, from time to time, that the Union was getting closer and closer to uhuru as the government had begun to respond positively to the issues with agreements on a number of timelines.

The new release is a shocking blow to members nationwide, as it was a lamentation revealing the bottled frustration of a staff union leadership that felt deceived, all along, by the government. The leadership has done well by issuing the release.

Members now know the true situation. It is very significant indeed that, through the medium of the September 23 release, members and the public have been informed that the Union has again extended the ultimatum to the federal government.

The new extension is by two weeks. The government should seize the opportunity of ASUU’S magnanimous extension of its ultimatum and expeditiously resolve the issues. Any squandering of the new opportunity would be the height of irresponsibility.

*J G Nkem Onyekpe, PhD; FHSN.
Department of History and Strategic Studies,
University of Lagos, Akoka.