“Human resource is the most important of all the resources. A nation that cannot educate and develop its man power, cannot develop anything else” – Harbison Barber (1973)

By Aluu Vincent

These are indeed very trying times for Nigerian youths, students, the education sector and all those with one relationship or the other with Nigeria’s educational system due to the strike action embarked upon by Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. The closure of universities, the platform through which Nigeria can develop her manpower is most unfortunate and unacceptable.

ASUU had embarked on strike on February 14 to press home the honouring of its demands represented in the 2009 FG/ASUU agreement. These include revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances and the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for payment of university lecturers. While there has been back and forth argument for and against the strike action, there seem to be no hope in sight for the opening of schools. The strike has entered its 7th month and students have lost hope in Nigeria. The education sector is worst hit as those affected are seeking alternatives outside Nigeria while the economy is battered.

For the avoidance of doubt, ASUU is a trade union that fights for the general development of Nigerian education in the Universities. In doing this, it tries to regulate all that happens between university staff employers and all the people that work in the universities in Nigeria. ASUU performs series of functions which include Members’ interest protection, educational development in Nigerian universities, Nigerian national development, Nigerian universities autonomy, educational rights of Nigerians, Adequate funding for Nigerian universities, Academic freedom in Nigeria, Proper Nigerian universities administration, Improvement of Nigerian living standards and Bringing Nigerian universities to international standards. It is the need to achieve these aims that has seen ASUU embark on series of strike and come in confrontation with successive Nigerian governments.

Over the years ASUU has recorded some landmark achievements. These include development of University Transparency and Accountability System, a payment system that is locally made and can is better than IPPIS that was imported with lots of implication and security problems, fighting for 26% to be allocated for education, ensuring ethical discipline of its members as erring members have been exposed, fighting for student's and parent's rights by ensuring that school fees paid are not high, being the watch dog in the spending of public funds in universities. ASUU was also instrumental to the establishment of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND. a product of the Education Tax Act of 1993. Prior to the establishment of the scheme in 2011, the government- owned tertiary institutions were poorly funded. The scheme was designed to improve on the management of funds disbursed to these institutions,” the tweets added.

I am a Malabite and a proud product of the University of Calabar. My post graduate academic journey is with the University of Uyo. I am very close to some of my lecturers. I know how it feels attending lectures and graduating from Nigerian universities first hand. I also know how deplorable some of the hostels; lecture halls and the lecturer’s offices were then and are now. For NANS or any student body to protest against ASUU instead of an insensitive and inept government, such a student body needs to visit a psychiatric hospital for mental checkup.
It is because of deplorable condition of condtion that is prompting ASUU to demand for refurbishing of Nigerian universities in such a way that it can attract students from all over the world. Do we still have foreign students in our universities as was the case in the past? ASUU is asking for money to build infrastructure, upgrading libraries, hostels, and lecture theatres so that students will not be having lectures through windows; so that students will not be sitting on the floor during lectures. ASUU is saying lecturers must earn competitive salaries so that we can have lecturers from all over the world come to our universities to teach, just like we’re going outside. Are you aware that a professor earns less than 1000 US Dollars a month as salary? Put pen to paper on what politicians earn.

Other demands are the issue of Earned Academic Allowances, University Staff Schools, implementation of the judgment of the National Industrial Court, National Universities Pension Management Company and guidelines for pension matters for professors, exemption offered by the government regarding the issue of TSA, which included the issue of grants, endowment funds as well as salary shortfall, which is already being implemented by the government.

It is funny how some Nigerians and students will believe that ASUU is fighting for their pockets and therefore are selfish. The ASUU struggle predates some of these youths. Over the years we have seen government pay lip service to issues of education. The Federal Government agreed to inject a total of N1.3 trillion into public universities, both state and federal, in six tranches, starting in 2013 after the union decried the deplorable state of the institutions.

It may interest you to know that in 2013, the government was to release N200 billion and release N220 billion each year for another five years. After releasing the first tranche, the government stopped releasing the funds. In 2017, it, however, released N20 billion. In 2020, it promised to release N25 billion. ASUU rejected the offer, insisting on N110 billion, which is 50 per cent of the N220 billion that it demanded, but the government declined, citing paucity of funds.

If the above are personal to ASUU that will warrant even students to attack ASUU, we are a lost generation that needs redemption. It is evil to support your slave master to continue to deny you your fundamental right to education by telling you there is no money and you accept it hook line and sinker. But when the issues concern COWS, NIGER REPUBLIC, AIRLINES, SUBSIDY PAYMENT and supporting FOREIGN COUNTRIES, funds will be readily available.

The former Accountant General has confessed to how he used the compromised IPPIS payment platform to steal and share a whopping 180 billion naira of funds that is enough to stop ASUU from continuing with the strike.
Government claims it has no money to fund education, but it coughed out 1.4 billion naira to buy exotic vehicle for Niger Republic. It also few days ago released over 6 billion naira to build ranches in Katsina state. How do you refer to such misplaced priority if not ineptitude at its peak?
A review of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) data suggests Nigeria’s educational sector has suffered massive capital flight in the last 10 years. Specifically, using the CBN’s balance of payment statistics, Nigerians have spent a hefty sum of $28.65 billion on foreign education in the past 10 years (2010 to 2020). The CBN also revealed that Nigerians spent at least $220.86 million on foreign education between December 2021 and February 2022. While Nigerians have remitted this much out of Nigeria, there does not appear to be significant reciprocation in form of inflows from foreign sources towards Nigeria’s education sector.

According to data from Webometrics, the highest ranked Nigerian university is the University of Ibadan with a rank of 1,196 followed by Covenant University with a rank of 1,314. In other words, no Nigerian university is ranked within the top 10% of universities globally. This may not be entirely surprising given that the funding of education at all levels is below the recommended benchmark by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Specifically, UNESCO’s benchmark for funding education is 26% of the national budget and 6% of the gross domestic product (GDP). In Nigeria it is sorry state as the budget for the education sector has averaged around 8.3% of the budget which is in sharp contrast to the recommended target and continues to drop. From a GDP perspective, the figure paints an even more dismal picture, as the education sector accounted for 1.94% of the real GDP in Q1 2021 and 1.86% in 2020. According to data from UNESCO, about 76,338 Nigerians were studying abroad as of 2018, which is the highest recorded by an African country.

In 2020, Nigerian students lost one academic session. In 2022, the same scenario is about playing out. Who did Nigerian students offend? Those who were to spend 4 years will spend 6 to 7 years before leaving school. That is additional 2 years and time is counting for them. The leaders whose duty it is to ensure that the educational sector works are directly responsible for the mess Nigerians students are faced at the moment. Incidentally, their kids are not affected in anyway as they are schooling abroad on tax payers’ money. Nigerian parents barely get their salaries, pensions and gratuities to cater for the needs of their families.

In all of these, one would ordinarily have expected that affected students would get angry like they did during the 2020 EndSars Protest. Not much has been seen or heard from the youths and student bodies. The ongoing strike would have been enough reason for students and youths to ensure that come 2023, they vote wisely for a leader who will ensure that strike ends in the educational section; a leader who will approve at least 20% of the national budget for education, fund the sector, improve the welfare of the lecturers and fix the learning environment.

Unfortunately, the same students/youths took part in the just concluded party primaries to elect the same set of leaders who have plundered the future of Nigeria. Some will act as Agents to these same leaders or collect 5,000 to sell their votes. If after spending 5 months at home as a student as a result of an avoidable strike, you still go on to vote APC or those who caused this hardship, you need public castration and have your brain checked.

Methinks it is time the youths took back their country and be the decider on who leads them. The youths should get their PVCs and ensure a ballot revolution. For me, it should not be about political party. It should be about competence, track record and willingness to serve the people. Never again should we vote for a leader who cares more about animals than humans; who would increase our woes, destroy our future and blame everyone but himself.

While urging the Federal government to do all it can to end the strike, may I also appeal to ASUU to make some concessions and shift grounds so an agreement can be reached in the days ahead. When two elephant fights, it is the grass around that truly suffers and not the actors in the fight. A stitch in time saves nine.

Aluu Vincent, a Public Affairs Analyst and Publisher of Naija Eye Witness News, contributes this piece from Uyo Akwa Ibom State – 08036688375.

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