Some university lecturers on Thursday
said that the federal government's
directive on the reopening of
universities, which also directed staff to
resume by Dec. 4 or face sack, was a
joke.
They spoke in separate telephone
interviews from Lagos.
Lecturers, under the aegis of the
Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU), had on July 1 started a
'comprehensive, total and indefinite'
strike in public universities across the
country.
The union members are agitating the
non-implementation of some issues
contained in an agreement it entered
into with the Federal government in
2009.
Mr Nyesom Wike, Supervising Minister
of Education, however, earlier on
Thursday, directed all Vice-Chancellors
of Federal Universities to immediately
reopen for academic and allied activities.
He also directed the Pro-Chancellors and
Vice-Chancellors to ensure that staff
who resume for work are provided with
the enabling environment for academic
and allied activities.
The minister said that any academic
staff who failed to resume on or before
Dec. 4, automatically ceased to be staff
of the institutions.
In his reaction to the directive, Dr
Oghenekaro Ogbinaka, Chairman,
University of Lagos branch of ASUU, said
the development was strange and
laughable.
He said that this was so considering the
fact that the union was yet to get back
to the government, after their
deliberations with President Goodluck
Jonathan.
“Our reaction is simple. Let us just wait
for the seven days to come around.
“What government has just done shows
that they were not committed in the
offer they made with the union that had
the Trade Union Congress President and
the Minister of Labour in attendance.
“We are not going to fall to that
blackmail. Now, which one is better,
government acceding to our demands or
issuing out threats.
“Honestly, this whole thing ought have
been easily resolved given the approach
taken by President Jonathan but it is
like we want to be taken for granted
after all and it is unfair,' he said.
Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, immediate past
Dean, Faculty of Law, University of
Lagos, simply described the development
as “a glorified joke and laughable''.
Oyewo noted that it was funny that one
of the parties which had before now
been holding dialogue, would try to
intimidate the other .
“I see this whole thing as a joke and I
dare say it is not even worth my
comments. We just keep our fingers
crossed and watch. I still emphasise that
such ultimatum is a display of
insensitivity and a huge joke,' he said.
Also commenting on the government
directive, Prof. Sat Obiyan, Head of
Department of Political Science, Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, said that the
ultimatum was not the best approach to
resolving the strike.
He, however, said that the threat may
achieve some success because some
lecturers would resume for fear of
losing their jobs but it would not end the
crisis in the education sector.
Obiyan said that it was unfortunate that
the strike was allowed to linger for so
long.
“Nigerians are worried over the
situation; the prolonged strike is not
good for the education system in the
country but the Federal Government
approach now is not the best.
“What is required is little understanding
by both parties to agree on something
and end the strike without aggravating
it.
“It is not a new thing for the Federal
Government to threaten ASUU members
with sack; it was done in 1996 by the
late President Sani Abacha.
“For the university system to work
perfectly, you need all the personnel and
not few lecturers on ground to teach,“
he said.
Obiyan urged the Federal Government
to have a rethink and implement the
agreement reached with the union.
He also urged ASUU to give the
Presidency the benefit of doubt that the
agreement will be implemented given
the President Goodluck Jonathan's
intervention which saw him leading the
government delegation at the last
negotiation meeting.
Also, Dr Yinka Ajala, Head, Department
of Geography, Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife said that the threat
would ignite more problems in the
education system.
Ajala said that threatening lecturers
with sack should not be a weapon but
for the Federal Government.
He said that the ASUU executive was
being careful with the agreement
reached with the Federal Government
before suspending the strike.
“What ASUU is asking for is not too
much, they want government to show
some commitment with the agreement.
“Government can only force few
lecturers to resume but not all if the
Vice-Chancellors open registers in the
institutions.
“The sack threat is a tactic that will not
work; it has been used by the military in
the past, so it is not new to us.
“I do not think this is the way
government should handle the strike, it
will not solve the problem,“ he said.
The Coordinator of Education Right
Campaign (ERC), Mr Hassan Soweto, said
that the ultimatum would only worsen
the problem, noting that it was against
the principle of public bargaining.
“What ASUU wants is some level of
commitment from the Federal
Government before it will suspend the
strike.
“It is not right for the government to use
force in a democracy,“ he said.
Mr Agbomeji Ibrahim, a student of Lagos
State University, Ojo urged the Federal
Government not to be authoritative by
giving lecturers one week to return to
classes or face sack.
Ibrahim, who is a student unionist, said
that there was a better approach to
resolve the issue rather than using a
sack threat.
'In comradeship, we do not shift grounds
due to threats.
'President Goodluck Jonathan is already
on the verge of settling with union, so
the present decision might slow down
the process of the resolution,' he said.
Ibrahim urged the Federal Government
to be more sensitive its decision and said
that ASUU should also have a rethink as
the strike was old enough to be called
off.
''The Federal Government must be
careful, logical and realistic its decision,
because of the importance of the sector.
''Both the Government and ASUU need
to accommodate each other on the
negotiation table because both parties
cannot get all their demands and must
be ready to shift grounds, 'Ibrahim said.
President Jonathan had personally led
the Federal Government negotiation
team at the last meeting between both
parties where some agreements were
made and the ASUU was to return to the
government after consulting with its
members.

And while creating a nairaland account on sept. 13th 2013 you couldn't think of any username, rather than impersonate me with chelcy?
Can't you be creative a bit?

Chelcy10: And while creating a nairaland account on sept. 13th 2013 you couldn't think of any username, rather than impersonate me with chelcy?
Can't you be creative a bit?

Guy or babe,dont b dumb....so i should have chosen another name cause d name is meant for only you??besides,aw was i to know one dumb fellow was already bearing the name.....FYI,That is my nickname or d other wae of spelling my name ''chelsea'' n i cant b told or Ordered by anyone not to use it....not like am so happy to be your namesake.....Btw,if it bothers you that much then go to the ''Edit Profile'' menu on your Nairaland page and change your name....cos i cant be Bothered with Retards like you

Note::::Next time if you have nothing to say then don't comment.....

Chelcy10: And while creating a nairaland account on sept. 13th 2013 you couldn't think of any username, rather than impersonate me with chelcy?
Can't you be creative a bit?

Eyaa

You began the commentc with unnecessary arguement, how does that solve the strike issue na

1st to comment becos u all are joker

Chelcy10: And while creating a nairaland account on sept. 13th 2013 you couldn't think of any username, rather than impersonate me with chelcy?
Can't you be creative a bit?

Painment

The pour-plate technique also will yield
isolated colonies and has been extensively
used with bacteria and fungi. The original
sample is diluted several times to reduce the
microbial population sufficiently to obtain
separate colonies upon plating. The small
volumes of several diluted samples are added
to sterile petri plates and mixed with liquid
tryptic soy agar that has been cooled to about
48℃ to 50℃. Most bacteria and fungi will not
be killed by the brief exposure to the warm
agar. After the agar has hardened each cell is
fixed in place and will form an individual colony
if the sample is dilute enough. Assuming no
chaining or cell clusters, the total number of
colonies are equivalent to the number of viable
microorganisms in the diluted sample. To
prepare pure cultures, colonies growing on the
surface or subsurface can be inoculated into
fresh medium.
1. With a wax pencil, label three sterile saline
blanks1 to3.
2. Melt the tryptic soy agar deeps in a boiling
water bath and cool in a 48℃ to 50℃ bath for
at least 10 to 15 minutes.
3. With a wax pencil, label the bottoms of three
petri plates 1 to 3, and add your name and
date.
4. Inoculate saline tube I with I mi of the MIXED
bacterial culture using aseptic technique and
MIX thoroughly. This represents a 10-1
dilution.
5. Using aseptic technique, immediately
inoculate tube 2 with 1 ml from tube 1; a 10-2
dilution.
6. Using aseptic technique, mix the contents of
tube2 and use it to inoculate tube 3 with I mi; a
10-3 dilution.
7. After tube 3 has been inoculated, mix its
contents, remove the cap, flame the top, and
aseptically transfer 1 ml into petri plate 3. Then
inoculate plates 1 and 2 in the same way, using
1 ml rmm tubes 1 and 2, respectively.
8. Add the contents of the melted tryptic soy
agar pours to the petri plates. Gently mix each
agar plate with a circular motion while keeping
the plate flat on the bench top. Do not allow
any agar to splash over the side of the plate!
Set the plate aside to cool and harden.
9. Incubate the plates at 30℃ to 37℃ for 24 to
48 hours in an inverted position.
10. Examine the pour plates and record your
results in the report for exercise 18.

Chelcy10: And while creating a nairaland account on sept. 13th 2013 you couldn't think of any username, rather than impersonate me with chelcy?
Can't you be creative a bit?

...are u d first person 2 have chelcy as a username.....??...plz stop making noise...trying 2 draw attention..

Chelcy: Guy or babe,dont b dumb....so i should have chosen another name cause d name is meant for only you??besides,aw was i to know one dumb fellow was already bearing the name.....FYI,That is my nickname or d other wae of spelling my name ''chelsea'' n i cant b told or Ordered by anyone not to use it....not like am so happy to be your namesake.....Btw,if it bothers you that much then go to the ''Edit Profile'' menu on your Nairaland page and change your name....cos i cant be Bothered with Retards like you

....sis.plz dnt mind him,he is jst trying to draw attention..if he is so angry wt dat ,he can go and bath on top transformer or better still hug transformer

I see a frustrated Nigerian who has been looking for opportunities to express his frustration.

Elliotwiz1: I see a frustrated Nigerian who has been looking for opportunities to express his frustration.

lyk criously,,he is mur dan frustrated...transfer of aggression 2 d poor girl.....

Thread derailed,not even a meaningful comment bout the topic,adios.