THE PREDATORS AND VULTURES OF NIGERIAN EDUCATION
By : Abdulwakeel Olawale
The concurrence and reoccurrence of Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) indefinite, total and comprehensive strike bamboozle one; thereby leaves one’s state of mind unsettled. Nigeria, however, is a nation blessed with countless resources worthy enough to make it an advanced and a developed country but alas, the reverse is the case, since the controllers, rulers, administrators and coordinators of the country are despot, domineering and barbaric. They never cogitate about what to do to their country but rather what the country will do for them. Hence, justice has become a once upon a time, economy is every day moving from bad to worst- ramshackle. Education, which is supposed to be a weapon to war and scourge against all these atrocities is moribund, tumbledown and every time cries of destruction due to the lackadaisical and negligent attitude of our so called ASUU and FG.
One thing should be cleared and understood, a nation wherein the state of education is egregious, doubtlessly, such nation is suffering from a disease more powerful than Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and chronic fatigue syndrome or my-algic encephalomyelitis. And for every individual and the country itself are already ensnared and imperilled. However, Federal Government (FG) and Academic Staff Union of Universities have been on turf war past three months with no substantial consensus or fate of Nigerian students not on till recently. Who is deceiving who? FG or ASUU?
Frankly speaking, truth must be said and discerned. Olu Obafemi said and I quote, “there is difference between Realism and Truth. Realism cannot fill empty stomachs but Truth can, if we listen to it. Truth can smash the fortress of falsehood.” Also, Pa AWOLOWO said and quoted, ” I am very blunt and I will continue to be a blunt till I die. If I know something to be true, I say it. I will never call a spade by any other name.” Hence, truth is bitter, they say, but saying it, is advantageous and dangerous but it must be said. ASUU is clamouring of dilapidated infrastructure in Nigerian public universities and proclaiming the use and implementation of modernisation of technology therein but yet the so called union is the principal saboteur to the development and standardisation of the ‘source of its livelihood.’
Numerous lecturers, lectors are the cog in the free wheel progress of the institutions. Why mouthed this, is not far fetched and very crystal clear to the blind; audible to the dumb and deaf. Most lecturers in Nigerian public universities and other higher institutions of learning are not dutifully discharging their primary and predominant duties been assigned to them. How will they be reproved? Since most of them sponsore their children to study abroad. Why shouldn’t they neglect their duties? It is in the Nigerian public universities one will see a regular lecturer in a particular university and also is a docent in another higher institutions of learning. Consequently, there is an imbalance. In other words, unable to deliver succinct lecture in his/her regular varsity and also insufficient delivering of lectures in another varsity where he/she is a docent. Hence, the end product of this, is garbage in, garbage out.
It is in the Nigerian public universities one will see a lecturer comes four times in a semester and next time to sight such a lecturer is definitely conduction of test. Practical for science and technical students is nothing to write home about. Amazingly, there was a conversation with an English language graduate who spelt out that he never got to language laboratory throughout his four years in the university. Just imagine! Funnily enough, this is a Union clamouring for infrastructure and rehabilitation co funding of Nigerian public universities. Is infrastructure alone, or to acquire qualitative and sound education? As an adage: plenty teeth are not teeth, but if it is just only two, it should able to cut meat. Our ASUU cannot sit and critically look to the falling areas they are causing atrocities and assaults to the Nigerian education. All what they know is to embark on total, indefinite and comprehensive strike all in the name of shortfalls allowance, arrears, rehabilitation of universities.
Moreover, look at where corruption commences, they are still collecting salaries in spite of not going to classes. Hence, most of them travel abroad to celebrate their children’s graduation while Nigerian indigent students are on strike.
Nigeria, a nation where Democratic system of government is practising can no longer hold to the standardisation of its education. A country where vulgarisation of education is at zenith. If ASUU doesn’t threaten strike today, COEASU will frighten it tomorrow, ASUP will lock its gates next day as the aftermaths of the poor funding, owing lecturers’ salary etc. There are some questions which always thirty for vigorous answers: do we have parochial leaders or indulgent ones? Do they dearth basic and tacit knowledge of democracy? Don’t they know the meaning of separation of power? All these are left for you to ponder.
Aplenty ministries are(being) created every now and then sans exercising their primary functions. In Nigeria, where separation of power is being undertaken, there shouldn’t be crisis or maladministration, if truly they know the clear meaning of the concept. We have ministry of education which is headed by the minister of education, commissioner for education et cetera. Why couldn’t they sit and vividly look into the development and growth of education in the country? Why government should owe a Union of education such huge amount of money and unfulfillment of agreement? Or does the government release the money but embezzled by some caber? Where are the monies yearly budget? Notwithstanding, Nigeria has metamorphosed to Samaritan treasury where any one at a time can come and greedily takes his/her own without considering the masses.
Now, FG is clamouring the ugly situation of the country’s economy thereby prevent it to fund Nigerian education, amidst, they, our leaders, send their children abroad to acquire sound and substantial education so as also for them to come back to Nigeria and continue from where their fathers stopped. The day of accountability and resurrection should always thunder and resounding in everyone’s mind.
The central of this article is to implore and urge the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of University to help and sympathise the situation of Nigerian education. For it is dying every day. And one thing should be reminded that the growth and development of a nation is the education of its youths. Outstanding education has deserted Nigerian youths. Consequently, our society is shaking to its very foundation, torn, between the attraction of imported vices and the fierce resistance of old virtues. Please help us to restore our dear and dead education; as everyone is crying to travel abroad to acquire sound education, even those that their parents are impecunious-hardly eat once in a day do not leave out.
God bless Nigeria
God bless ASUU
God bless our leaders
God bless our education.