chreld_b:

I pleaded with you to be polite by you insist on being an i.diot. For that I will not go easy on you. Obviously you are mentally retarded. You do not even know the correct abbreviation of Academic Staff Union of Universities... Oxford I do not know if you've ever been told this but you s.tupidity is epic. You are the most idiotic human being I have had a conversation with this year.

Lol... This is a serious ATTACK ON PERSON!...FALLACY-ARGUMENTUM ad HOMINEM!!! mods pls.. U r needed hereeeeeee!!!

ZackiGp:
And u think God will answer these prayers? Jt pray God doesn't punish u first. These leaders are kept and appointed by God himself so 'curse not His appointed'.

U know, i was just about 2 pass u off as a RETARD, but out of civility, i'm just gonna extend u d benefit of doubt. Did i hear u say, "God kept n appointed the leaders? "... how so dude. Through the constant rigging n manipulations of the peoples democratic party aka PDP Who thinks it's their God-given right 2 run this nation into the sewers My fellow Nigerian brother pls, open ur eyes wide, look around u n be objective... But of course that's gonna be close 2 impossible 4 u 2 do if, by some croocked means u r a beneficiary of the government u so much love n protect. #peace

prof.femi:
Does anyone know how to get across to the fynestboi or any of the education mods? I'm not sure they've to this part of town so perhaps we need a more direct path to them (within the bounds of Nairaland)?

If it concerns moving this thread to the homepage, only the SuperMods (Seun and Mukina) have such powers and the best place to catch them besides sending a pm is in the politics section. I put in an appeal since morning but the mods obviously have some other ideas - not like I'm surprised anyway I think the thread was'nt 'packaged' well enough for the homepage. Still keeping my fingers crossed anyway.
Great job you're doin here and I've learnt a lot personally even though I still hold my reservations. I'm guessing you prefer an engagement with those bearing the brunt of the strike action so I'll take my leave and continue watching from the sidelines. Two thumbs up.

Pryme-st*rr:

U know, i was just about 2 pass u off as a RETARD...

Abegiii!... Nairaland moderators i meant a Tard with a bold caps not slowpoke. Pls stop changing my vocabulary.

We need fresh ideas and constructive attacks (on ASUU and not on our darling prof. oooo )on this thread, so abeg! Mr and mrs moderators biko front page this thread.

Just to say it the way I see it, I don't see an end to this strike this year. So students should keep calm and get ready for 2014 resumption.

prof.femi:


In my mind, there are a few possibilities:
1. The strike goes on for so long (next year?) and some ASUU guys just get tired and say "what the heck, lets call off and let the schools do whatever they can to raise IGR. That means astronomical fees)

2. Government shifts ground of its own accord and ASUU also shifts ground too. How long this might take is unpredictable.

3. Government shifts ground much faster (and ASUU shifts likewise) because the groundswell of public opinion is so much against them that they become afraid they will lose control.

I am hoping for option 3, and that is part of why I am trying so hard to let everyone know what the stakes are so we can mount more pressure on government.

Prof.. You think with the overwhelming public outcry on FG and proposed strikes by different organisations, they are ready to shift grounds. I can see you guys have a JOKER at hand and the students are just at the middle watching and doing nothing. Iyen na da

In one of your post you accused the students of not doing anything and they have power to bring the strike to an end. Can you please shed more light on that. I mean, what do you think WE students can do to save OUR future.

@OP, I just have to let you understand that there is absolutely nothing to justify the lingering strike than for improved living condition (Hike in salaries) of the lecturers. It's glaring they all want to live large like our politicians, they feel if someone could be earning Millions with an ordinary Waec, Hnd or Bsc how much more the Phd holders and Profs...but my answer to that is simple, if u want to earn like them, then quit your lecturing job and join them. (Late Yar'adua and GEJ did it successfully) rather that inflict agonies on the innocent students. I mean, tell me just 2 ways in which the strike is really affecting the govt (for the ones in currently in power though)? I guess except for 2015 election's sake. They live their lives normally as if nothing is happening and at the same time you guys (Lecturers) would still accrue ur monthly salaries. So that means u have absolutely nothing to lose sequel to the strike.
If truly you want us to believe that you are agitating for revamping of our universities then declear to the public that you would forgo your monthly salaries and allowances during the course of the strike, only then would you have the support of someone like me.

Although I am not advocating the chary attitude of FG but I think I quite agree with them that it is not all the lecturers that are entitled to earned allowances. Reason is that some, infact most of them have refused to 'develop' themselves, they have never sat for an hour to study futher since they got their Phd. Hence they go to classrooms to dictate verbatim from textbooks written by their counterparts in other countries (esp. USA and India) with no futher elucidation to the students. Yet such lecturers still want to be paid an 'undeserved' allowance.
It's also imperative that I ask of what benefits have you guys (Lecturers) ever been to this nation Nigeria apart from dictating notes to ur students? How many of you has ever come up with a great discovery or invention that could better the lives of Nigerians? Ordinary mosquito killer some of the naija's Dr(s) and profs can't make. We have lots of Professors in Mechanical engineering yet we still can't manufacture a viable car. We have you guys here in Nigeria and yet we import virtually everything from other countries. I once heard of a professor in computer science that could not design a website. How pathetic! Yet they all wants to be entitled to allowances.
I could vividly remember a member of ASUU from uniben or so making an utterance that they (ASUU) will never call off the strike even if it lasts for Ten (10) years, and I was like is this supposed to be a lecturer or a goon?

So face it Mister (or Prof), I for one can never be deluded by your extremely sentimental write up...and it's simple, you stick to your opinion and i'll stick to mine.

Forgive me if I sound so brash. But remember two wrongs can never make a right and it is unjustifiable to inflict agonies on innocent Nigerian students.
Stop The Strike As Soon As Possible!

Thanks

If u ask me, I think ASUU deserve all the critisism they are getting. And i think some elements are begining to use them as something like political stooge against fg cause its becoming like a yearly thing. 2009, 2011, 2012 and now, 2013 most times with no justifiable reason. @Prof, pls tell me one aspect of Nigeria that is flourishing as a result of government funding. Banking, Tellecommunications and even entertainment didnt get where they are 2day because government gave them N1.3trillion. Every sector not just Education is still gradually improving so i dont know why ASUU would think that our universities would become great overnight. Believe me, every sector of Nigeria just like education will have a million reasons to go on strike if they decide to do so today. But Imagine this happens. Imagine all the unions name them, in agriculture, health, medicine, electricity, transports, police, sports etc all decide to go on strike because they want to be like their peers in other developed nations, Imagine how naija for be. we for don worse pas Somalia. In this part of the world, things improve gradually not overnight. We all talk about corruption in nigeria, is it only the fg that is corrupt? Is ASUU not even more affected by this corruption of a thing? Cmon, those of us that are students know what we experience in skul. When a sytem is already corrupt, pumping money desperately will only make matters worse. Just like nepa/phcn, after trillions spent on it in the last 10years, where is the light. We rely too heavily on govt in this country. Government must do this, government must do that, they must do everything. The big unis we all talk about today, Havard, MIT dont depend on their government for every little thing. Even the Ghanian unis we r trying to be like run mostly on their own income. But here in Nigeria, after cumulatively collecting an average of about N100 thousand from each student year in year out (not to talk of post ume, pg, diploma and other fees) our unis want fg to cover 99percent of their financial needs. Despite these, many of lecturers still force students to pay for handouts and marks not to talk what some of them do to girls. Mainwhile, these are people who are adequately paid by their employers (even prof. Femi attested to that). This is my take, What our universities need is systemic cleansing from top to bottom so as to flush majority of those vampires currently parading themselves as academics. When this is done, any amount govt puts will be justified. As for ASUU, they are a bunch of unserious, dishonest, selfish and lazy workers whose only concern is about themselves and whoever is supposedly sponsoring them.

And i say again, prof is trying by all means to draw public sympathy with his write up.
He writes smtin, waits for an angry student to insult him and then he responds nicely and calmly to the insult.
Seriously, prof, no matter wht u write here can nt and will not change the impression of Nigerians(esp student) abt ASUU. This body has brought so much pain and disappointment to almost everybody dat has passed thru nigerian university, this is wher we are again.

Great write up prof.femi.No matter how much i hate ASUU this write up just lighten my heart.What will you do about some of your lecturers charging huge amount of money for handout?Will each lecturers create a blog or a website for they students?I still have a lot of questions prof.

shopisky: If u ask me, I think ASUU deserve all the critisism But here in Nigeria, after cumulatively collecting an average of about N100 thousand from each student year in year out (not to talk of post ume, pg, diploma and other fees) our unis want fg to cover 99percent of their financial needs. Despite these, many of lecturers still force students to pay for handouts and marks not to talk what some of them do to s and whoever is supposedly sponsoring them.

Although I am a student.I can sincerely say that no matter the hundred thounsands you mention it is still peanuts.Nigeria are trying to subsidized the school fees for more than 400 thousand student per year.The burden of our school fees is on FG head.Prof.femi was right when he said "Education is expensive,either the government or the students someone has to pay"Thats true. We are not even paying tuitions yet we the student are groaning about good education when they dont have good money.The lowest tuition fee in ghana is about 280thounsand naira per year.

jaidor: @OP, I just have to let you understand that there is absolutely nothing to justify the lingering strike than for improved living condition (Hike in salaries) of the lecturers. It's glaring they all want to live large like our politicians, they feel if someone could be earning Millions with an ordinary Waec, Hnd or Bsc how much more the Phd holders and Profs...but my answer to that is simple, if u want to earn like them, then quit your lecturing job and join them. (Late Yar'adua and GEJ did it successfully) rather that inflict agonies on the innocent students. I mean, tell me just 2 ways in which the strike is really affecting the govt (for the ones in currently in power though)? I guess except for 2015 election's sake. They live their lives normally as if nothing is happening and at the same time you guys (Lecturers) would still accrue ur monthly salaries. So that means u have absolutely nothing to lose sequel to the strike.
If truly you want us to believe that you are agitating for revamping of our universities then declear to the public that you would forgo your monthly salaries and allowances during the course of the strike, only then would you have the support of someone like me.

Although I am not advocating the chary attitude of FG but I think I quite agree with them that it is not all the lecturers that are entitled to earned allowances. Reason is that some, infact most of them have refused to 'develop' themselves, they have never sat for an hour to study futher since they got their Phd. Hence they go to classrooms to dictate verbatim from textbooks written by their counterparts in other countries (esp. USA and India) with no futher elucidation to the students. Yet such lecturers still want to be paid an 'undeserved' allowance.
It's also imperative that I ask of what benefits have you guys (Lecturers) ever been to this nation Nigeria apart from dictating notes to ur students? How many of you has ever come up with a great discovery or invention that could better the lives of Nigerians? Ordinary mosquito killer some of the naija's Dr(s) and profs can't make. We have lots of Professors in Mechanical engineering yet we still can't manufacture a viable car. We have you guys here in Nigeria and yet we import virtually everything from other countries. I once heard of a professor in computer science that could not design a website. How pathetic! Yet they all wants to be entitled to allowances.
I could vividly remember a member of ASUU from uniben or so making an utterance that they (ASUU) will never call off the strike even if it lasts for Ten (10) years, and I was like is this supposed to be a lecturer or a goon?

So face it Mister (or Prof), I for one can never be deluded by your extremely sentimental write up...and it's simple, you stick to your opinion and i'll stick to mine.

Forgive me if I sound so brash. But remember two wrongs can never make a right and it is unjustifiable to inflict agonies on innocent Nigerian students.
Stop The Strike As Soon As Possible!

Thanks

Well, you have some points there but everything still boils down to issue of adequate funding... If you go through all what prof. Femi wrote, he agreed that some parts of their demands were based on selfish reasons but that should not be used to overlook the other part which was and still is the issue of funding...If universities are adequately funded, our universities will attract best brains in the world and bad eggs( like lazy,unproductive lecturers etc) will be flushed out. From what you said, you made mention of some lecturers that could not invent anything despite the fact that they were professors... We cannot totally blame them because when they were undergraduates like us, they passed through the same university system that will still have now. How do u expect them to be fully functional when they were not properly taught themselves? ...abt the issue of collecting salary for the period of the strike, I think that he has done justice to that in his previous comments... I believe that Prof. Femi will do justice to some questions that I didn't answer...

ZackiGp: And i say again, prof is trying by all means to draw public sympathy with his write up. He writes smtin, waits for an angry student to insult him and then he responds nicely and calmly to the insult.

Ha, guy, you cynical o I did admit earlier (I believe I was addressing oxford then) that I focus on the angry students. That's because they are the ones I need to try to convince. For the records, what I want is not *sympathy* for ASUU's action. If we are big boys we should be able to cope without your sympathy, no be so? What I want is for Nigerians to understand that there is an ongoing battle for the future of tertiary education (and Nigeria).

Also taking from what I shared with oxford, there are two separate issues that people mix up:

i. ASUU is made up of lazy, greedy call-em-what-you-wants
ii. For the sake of the future of this country, *someone* needs to inject funds into tertiary education

While I expect many people to share sentiment one, I will be shocked if I find people disagreeing with sentiment 2.

The problem most people arguing against the strike have is that they are allowing sentiment one to becloud their ability to appreciate sentiment 2.

*by the way, your observation is right. I chose to respond politely to angry outbursts. It is by choice (believe it or not, I do have that quick temper...). I am a teacher, and that is true whether I am in the class or not.

onlyme07: In one of your post you accused the students of not doing anything and they have power to bring the strike to an end. Can you please shed more light on that. I mean, what do you think WE students can do to save OUR future.

I wasn't actually saying you can end the strike like that (other than mounting pressure on FG, which is not a straightforward thing).

I was responding to someone who challenged my view that students can be productive during a strike action that has thrown them out of classes. I then went on to argue that with creativity, there is *a lot* students can do to change the system. I will expatiate in a separate post right after this.

MY NEW CHALLENGE TO NAIRALAND STUDENTS

Hello Nairalanders, we have focused so much on the ASUU-FG tussle, but I am a little bit disappointed that nobody bit when I threw the mylecturersreputation.com idea out there. My point was, and remains, that we are all stakeholders in education. There is more you can do to make things the way you think they should be. A few suggestions:

i. Someone should pick up the mylecturersreputation.com idea. I am convinced that it can be used as a powerful deterrent to lecturers who want to be naughty. Won't it be delicious irony if students use the downtime caused by an ASUU strike to develop a platform to keep ASUU members honest?

ii. Why don't you guys develop studentsideasforeducation.com.ng (or a similar section on Nairaland)? What I mean is a clearinghouse for suggestions and idea on how students can influence things. You could start by first identifying a list of what the pressing issues are. You know yourselves (at least your Nairaland selves) and you know the smart ones among you. Create a thinktank to run it. Its good to use the Internet as a place to crack "dancing azonto" jokes, but you should be able to do other, more creative things too.

*It is easy for anyone reading this to assume I am some stupidly naive idealist. I am not. If nothing else, I consider myself lucky enough to have seen students with whom everything I have said above would resonate. I am just not sure whether there are such students in Nigeria, but that won't stop me from hoping.

jaidor: So face it Mister (or Prof), I for one can never be deluded by your extremely sentimental write up...and it's simple, you stick to your opinion and i'll stick to mine. Thanks

Thank you. Sentimental? That's an acceptable accusation which I will however need you to substantiate. I will help you by creating a summary of the writeup:

1. I am an academic and I want to inform people about the issues at stake; I have only honest motives
2. Tertiary education is extremely expensive but nobody, government or parents, wants to pay for it
3. If money is not injected into education (especially tertiary education), not only will we remain a perpetual developing country, but Ghana may become the sub-regional power
4. The selfish part of our strike is to demand for allowances that we have *earned*, and that government promised. However, the part government finds most difficult is the part where we demand for what they consider outrageous amounts to improve our infrastructure
5. People sometimes demand that ASUU shut up and put up with current working conditions, when it is this same conditions that prevents the system from employing the exceptional lecturers that will put an end to the problems such people observe.
6. Regretfully, students are the ones who suffer the most from the strike. It is true that it places endless suffering on them, however, there is a silver lining because most students will end up benefiting in some way
7. Students do not need to idle away the time during the strike. They can turn the loss into a net gain of sorts.

Now, as I have been nice enough to summarize a long write-up just for you, will you point out which elements you find untenable? Or are you allowing your preconceived notion of ASUU as a bunch of selfish dudes cloud your judgement?

wesley80: If it concerns moving this thread to the homepage, only the SuperMods (Seun and Mukina) have such powers and the best place to catch them besides sending a pm is in the politics section. I put in an appeal since morning but the mods obviously have some other ideas - not like I'm surprised anyway I think the thread was'nt 'packaged' well enough for the homepage. Still keeping my fingers crossed anyway.
Great job you're doin here and I've learnt a lot personally even though I still hold my reservations. I'm guessing you prefer an engagement with those bearing the brunt of the strike action so I'll take my leave and continue watching from the sidelines. Two thumbs up.

Thanks for the heads up bro. Please feel free to hammer me anytime I say something you don't agree with

Prof. Femi,

You are so exactly on point.

I was a university student when ASUU was on strike in 1992 for 9 months and in 1996 for 6 months. Not to count the numerous school closures we had as a result of riots against the university authorities to improve conditions, the same conditions ASUU is fighting for.

My first year school fees? N40. My first year accommodation? N110.

By the time I left school, my total school fees and accommodation was not more than N10,000. So when we check the total fees I paid in my first degree, it could not come to more than N100,000 in school fees and accommodation combined: less than $650. LAUGHABLE.

ANY WONDER WHY FACILITIES AND CONDITIONS WERE SIMPLY SO DIFFICULT FOR US?

Fast forward a few years. Did 2 post graduate programs in Australia and Europe. Total cost? Tuition fees alone: nearly $40,000. Not counting living expenses, accommodation (paid in three months what I paid for my house back in PH for a whole year).

Check out the difference: paying less than N100,000 total school fees in Nigeria, as opposed to $40,000 (N6.6million) for post graduate degrees abroad.

THE COLD HARD TRUTH: Nigerians love good things but do not want to pay for them.

ASUU is fighting a very just cause for Nigerian students who have totally failed to see the big picture. A day will come when ASUU will stop agitating to get the Nigerian government to do their work: fund public universities. PUBLIC universities are GOVERNMENT PROPERTY. How can a house owner totally neglect to take care of his own property?

The only other option when ASUU stops agitating: NIGERIAN STUDENTS WILL START PAYING TUITION FEES. By the time a student in UNILAG or UNIABUJA or UNIMAID or LAUTECH will start paying N3million, N5million, N10,million a year, then the eyes of Nigerian students will open and they will start screaming: HAD WE KNOWN! Then it will be too late.

Front page? Mukina & Seun, you're my heroes
Okay Nigerian students and other stakeholders, lets talk about education in our country.

stagger: I was a university student when ASUU was on strike in 1992 for 9 months and in 1996 for 6 months. Not to count the numerous school closures we had as a result of riots against the university authorities to improve conditions, the same conditions ASUU is fighting for.

God bless you. You put it in context much better than I did.

only in 9jiria,after JAMB sub-plimentry exams schools dont account for,lecture periods turns to hand-out taking and text books,no body ask about,after exams [sorting],series of non refundable fees.a whole lot of revenues schools generates that is not accountable of.

Jobig: .a whole lot of revenues schools generates that is not accountable of.

I didn't get most of your post, but the last part is important, as it is a very common argument. Look, there is corruption in the universities just like everywhere in Nigeria (and especially because we do not pay enough to get *only* the right sort of people). However, the corruption is usually not enough to make a big difference.

The fact is just that education is much more expensive than people think. Someone was claiming earlier this week that when universities charge N10,000 per space for accommodation, they make a net profit. Really Please do the maths more carefully and you will realize that it is being subsidized.

Another example: I mentioned earlier, when students use my university's Internet, they have no idea it costs well over N50 million per year (closer to N100 million).

Finally, when I told someone that my university could pay more than N20 million per month on electricity, he immediately objected. Well, it is true.

Short story: yes, some money is embezzled, but it makes little difference really.

This Prof is just selfishly playing to the gallery. Funds are not the reason for the poor graduates our universities are churning out. Bad lecturers are. You don't need funds to learn. You need funds to learn comfortably. These are two different things. When these lecturers talk of poor infrastructure, what they don't tell you is that even departments that don't need labs and research centers with modern equipment, still turn out poor students. Tell me how a graduate of political science requires heavy infrastructure to learn? they make 't sound like the whole university needs labs. They also make it sound like you need internet connection and computerized blackboards to produce intelligent graduates. This is all false. These infrastructures will help the students learn in a more conducive and comfortable environment, but only good lecturers will turn out good students.

theoctopus: This Prof is just selfishly playing to the gallery. Funds are not the reason for the poor graduates our universities are churning out.

Thank you. I have just one question for you. How do you recruit good lecturers then? How many first class students do you know who pick up lecturing? Can you tell me why? Thank you.

Appliedmaths.:
@ Prof. You made mention of the fact that the current Final year students wouldn't benefit from the current ASUU strike, I also believe the current 300L students (sadly which I belong to) wouldn't really benefit from the strike too. But my question is this why did ASUU not allow the current Final year students write their Final exams and graduate peacefully instead of frustrating these lads. I see this as sheer wickedness. You people got this one wrong, I tell you most parents whose children are currently in their Finals now have doubled their labour just to be able to meet up with their needs. The elapsed time has eaten deep into their pockets, go the market you'll see aged men and women (60-70) telling you how ASUU have destroyed their plans because they see no reason why their Final year children were not allowed to complete their programme and come home in peace. I don't know what nonsensical and un-professional point ASUU wanted to prove, but I tell you ;you people got this one wrong. This is my own side of the story.

Summary: ASUU should have allowed the Final year students complete their programme. We the 300L students downwards can understand the situation and peacefully relax in our various houses without breaking a sweat.

.
My dear, u took d words out of my mouth! I'm in my final year, was hoping to graduate in few months (november) , now ASUU has changed my calender, which will affect every other plans : nysc posting ,etc when I know dat even if d money is given to ASUU 2day,I will in no way benefit from there plans!!

Shinelle: . I will in no way benefit from there plans!!

You are right, and I can only apologize for that. However (please don't be angry when I say this) your one consolation might be that if we can get education (especially tertiary education) right, the country will be better, and over the course of your career, you will benefit from it. I'm not trying to be inconsiderate...just looking for some silver lining for you...

professor olufemi sunday obayori, thank u for the enlightenment. when two elephants fight, it is the grasses that suffers. professor olufemi sunday obayori, thank u for the enlightenment. when two elephants fight, it is the grasses that suffers.

theoctopus: This Prof is just selfishly playing to the gallery. Funds are not the reason for the poor graduates our universities are churning out. Bad lecturers are. You don't need funds to learn. You need funds to learn comfortably. These are two different things. When these lecturers talk of poor infrastructure, what they don't tell you is that even departments that don't need labs and research centers with modern equipment, still tun out poor students. Tell me how a graduate of political science requires heavy infrastructure to learn? they make 't sound like the whole university needs labs. They also make it sound like you need internet connection and computerized blackboards to produce intelligent graduates. Try his is all false. These infrastructures will help the students learn in a more conducive and comfortable environment, but only good lecturers will turn out good students.

Your argument is porous. Any country that wants to make it in today's world relies on industrialization, and what professions drive industrialization? Is it political scientists?

How can you produce engineers without investing in technology to teach the course in university?

Have you heard of William Perry, former US Defense Secretary? He was (and still is) a university lecturer that participated in the design of a weapons defense system that is in use by the US Armed Forces today. These are the things ASUU is calling on the government to FUND so that we can truly achieve the dream of Vision 20:20:20. It is not by political statements.

Nigerians should wake up!

prof.femi:
MY NEW CHALLENGE TO NAIRALAND STUDENTS

Hello Nairalanders, we have focused so much on the ASUU-FG tussle, but I am a little bit disappointed that nobody bit when I threw the mylecturersreputation.com idea out there. My point was, and remains, that we are all stakeholders in education. There is more you can do to make things the way you think they should be. A few suggestions:

i. Someone should pick up the mylecturersreputation.com idea. I am convinced that it can be used as a powerful deterrent to lecturers who want to be naughty. Won't it be delicious irony if students use the downtime caused by an ASUU strike to develop a platform to keep ASUU members honest?

ii. Why don't you guys develop studentsideasforeducation.com.ng (or a similar section on Nairaland)? What I mean is a clearinghouse for suggestions and idea on how students can influence things. You could start by first identifying a list of what the pressing issues are. You know yourselves (at least your Nairaland selves) and you know the smart ones among you. Create a thinktank to run it. Its good to use the Internet as a place to crack "dancing azonto" jokes, but you should be able to do other, more creative things too.

*It is easy for anyone reading this to assume I am some stupidly naive idealist. I am not. If nothing else, I consider myself lucky enough to have seen students with whom everything I have said above would resonate. I am just not sure whether there are such students in Nigeria, but that won't stop me from hoping.

Great Ideas but unfortunately Nigeria students have dull and negative brains. They are busy accusing lecturers who are fighting for their right instead of thinking of strategies they too will use to fight for their own right. Some are just at home sleeping all day and watching Nigerian movies, some are here making noise and pouring insults on ASUU that is not even hearing what they are saying. Look at the so called NANS and how they are licking the arse of the govt in a way that suggests that govt has given their leaders a few thousands. Honestly these students are pathetic. What they are good at is forming various cults that end up fighting and killing each other in campuses. That's where their creativity starts and ends. Shame. Instead of creating avenues to curtail the excesses of lecturers and the embezzlement of funds by the non academic staff, they are busy weeping and wailing and pouring insults on whoever(I wonder how that will solve their problem). What have they done to ensure that the ministry of education, the NUC, the senate and house of reps education committee and other education agencies are carrying out their duties properly? What have they done with respect to their wefare as students. ASUU has been running a cooperative over the years which they have been using to help their members. The cooperative helps them to purchase items at a very low cost and spreads the payment for a period of some months. The cooperative gives them soft loan at a very low interest etc. What have the students done in relation to their welfare other than carrying their females to clubs and fast food joint to waste their upkeep money? Pathetic Nigerian students. Yes ASUU is greedy, selfish and whatever you call them. Yes they are fighting for their own good or whatever. Why don't you students think of fighting for your own good too rather than engaging in this weeping and wailing that have not helped you over the years? Doesn't that show dullness of brain and unprogressiveness on your own part?

Pls, nairalanders let be objective in criticizing this write up. He had presented his own view on the issue and we should also present our own view also with good point.

In my school as an engineering student, there are some labs we were supposed to go through but the equipment were not there. We were just shown images and recorded lab practicals downloaded from internet which is thousand miles wide from real practicals hands-on of those equipment in a proper lab.

Ghana, that our politicians and rich businesswomen/men are sending their wards to were at home for a year! But now the educational system is the better for it.

They don't want to rubbish the educational system like health, where even a corpse would be taken overseas for preservation!

Though students are going to bear much of the strain of this strike, it would be better if we can look for something feasible while we are at home. Too much internet, TV and games would have adverse effect on us. Let's look at our surroundings and make meaningful contributions that we, our family and the community would be proud of.

Hope you have the time to reply my posts on a point by point basis

1) when ASUU went on strike in July they said its emphatically about their allowance and they won't call off until the allowance is paid in full..

nationalmirroronline.net/new/ASUU-declares-indefinite-strike-over-n12500-allowance/

Isn't it deceitful for ASUU along the way to now turn around to claim they are fighting for the good of education like your post suggests

2) How did ASUU calculate that their earned allowance is. 87 billion because my source tells me that calculation was not done in conjunction with FG

3)you raised up an issue about taking 70 billion from TETFUND to make up a huge part of the 100 billion released by Govt..but the question is the lead of the team who participated in securing this money is an ASUU executive..why didn't he cry out at that stage

4) why is it that why we universities keep crying about lack of funds much of TETFUND grant is left unaccessed
Even grants meant for scholarship studies by you guys
www.nairaland.com/1471143/n73.87-billion-tetfund-grant-left

5)Lastly like octopus asked what is responsible for the low quality of graduates in the social sciences who don't need laboratories

Let me chirp in a word or two here...

I hear people complaining of 'bad' lecturers... these 'bad' lecturers, are they not product of our already 'decayed' educational and socio-economic system? Did they just fall out of the skies!? Even if we 'import' Cambridge and Oxford lecturers to teach in many our public institutions now, how much do you reckon they will achieve? How will they fare in this clime of our present day citadels?

It is depressing to see us squabble amongst ourselves when the people we should be fighting against stand on one side and watch!

In my ND days, the son of my HOD was in the same class as I... the daughter of the Rector was two sets above mine... in PGD, the wife of a senior was in my class etc. Now, let me ask... what school does Petroleum Minister's kid attend? The Finance Minister nkor? Arrgh, that is going too far sef... Press Secretary and Special Adviser pikin nkor!?

My point...the average lecturer is no better than you and I; they feel the pinch too. The 'real' villains, who do not feel the pinch, we never engage!