RE: MEMO TO ASUU

Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, US, Ebenezer Obadare writing in his column “The Crisis” on ” the BusinessDay of Wednesday, 1st July, 2oo9, with the title “Memo To ASUU”. To say the least, it was an intelligently written piece, but it came short of blaming ASUU for the current state of University education in our Naija – apologies to Dr. Reuben Abati.
According to Prof. Obadare, the current strike embarked upon by ASUU to press home an age old demand was “greeted by something close to a collective shrug of the general public”. This comes to me as a shock, it is as though the docile populace has in the past risen in support of ASUU’s clamor for an improved learning and teaching condition, which would have helped the dying system, and perhaps stop people like Prof Obadare from running abroad. Though Prof. Obadare acknowledged this much, but faulted when, in the same sentence said “the sheer vehemence with which opponents of the union’s tactics reacted was in itself ample indication that at least they cared”. The big question is who are those Prof. Obadare claims “cared” and who do they care about?

The irony of this is that Prof. Obadare was himself, a former member of ASUU before he left – I guess for greener pastures in the US – didn’t tell us why he did. His new found comfort in a system where things work, and in a country were priority is given to education, suddenly brought about a discomfort with ASUU’s approach in demanding that working environment be improved to something that resembles what he is currently enjoying in the US.
Our American Prof. Obadare who made his observation or criticism of ASUU’s tactics “in a non-martial, even collegial, spirit” also accused them of being guilty of understating [?] “the depth of decay on the campuses”. It is this same understatement of the decay he referred to that ASUU is fighting to arrest. Or would he rather that they go on as if everything is alright?
The long and short of Prof Obadare’s Memo to ASUU was that their “tactics and strategy” of strike which should be the “last option” has failed and that new ways will have to be developed by ASUU’s “rank and file” on alternative ways. Great observation from Prof. I want to say that criticism is cheap, just as it is said that talk is cheap. It doesn’t take a runaway Professor to tell us this. Even a primary school student knows that successive strikes have not solved the problem in our universities which may account for the non-challant attitude of the people. It would have been expected that a memo from a Professor to ASUU pointing out a problem would have also proffered some solution since the current method is “insufficient”. I think the problem is not so much the approach, but the government’s response. Strike, demonstrations and protests are tools that are employed in very developed societies to bring about a change in several sectors. The yet to be seen result in ASUU’s case, does not in any way invalidate the approach, it just again goes to show how insensitive those in leadership are to the plight of the people.

I choose not to drag myself into Prof Obadare’s claim “that there are other salient internal issues that demands ASUU’s urgent attention” but I want to assure him that they are not the ”reason behind the popular indifference” by the people. I don’t know how long Prof has been away, but I can assure him that it’s not in our culture to line the streets in protest against any government action even if they brazenly kill people on the streets. We are too busy protecting our lives. Someone wrote recently that “There will be no revolution” in Nigeria. The reasons were clearly attributed in that write up.

I really don’t know who the opponents of ASUU Prof. Obadare had in mind are, when he said “they cared” but I am want to assume it is the government that he was referring to. The same government that is supposed to solve this problem? I doubt Prof. Obadare knows the current issues at stake. I don’t know how he will react if he reached an agreement with his current employers and two years on, they refuse to acknowledge the agreement, less hold up to their own end of the bargain. “They are too responsible to behave in such a manner” I imagine Prof. Obadare saying. I would rather that Professor spent some time to tell our government on how to be responsible to its citizens including ASUU. Prof. Obadare’s current station will show him that ‘better soup, na money buy am”. So the demand for a certain percentage of the budget to be set aside for education is quite in line with UNESCO’s recommendation. I trust ASUU knows the responsibility that will be expected of them should government meet their demand.

There is an adage that says, to whom much is given, much is expected. I believe if adequate funding is given to our universities, members of ASUU - whom Prof says “the door of the corporate world” was “shut in their faces” – will have no choice than to sit up. I do like to ask Prof. Obadare if as a former member of ASUU, he too was shut out of the corporate world before he took to lecturing. If I understand Prof. obadare, our university lecturers are the rejects of the corporate world. They couldn’t measure up. They are not even supposed to be in the university as academics rather they “ought to be serving in the universities in non-academic capacities” Prof once belonged to this union oh! How come these same people excel when they go to places like where Prof. Obadare is pontificating from?

For Prof Obadare’s information, on the same day his memo was published, a report by Kelechi Ewuzie on page 2 of the Business School section of the same BusinessDay titled “Future of Students in Danger with Incessant strike action” was published too. The parents, whom he spoke to, all acknowledged that the solution to this current problem lies squarely at doors of the government. They all - like Reagan asked the communists to tear down this wall – asked government to end this cycle of madness. I expected that Prof. will lend his voice to this call on government not to destroy our tomorrow today. An incisive article written by Ferdinand Adimefe on the same day, on page 6 of the same business school section of the same BusinessDay titled “Graduates and Reality of Unemployment” analyzed amongst other things, the effect of government’s irresponsibility on the products of our universities. He didn’t say ASUU was solely to blame. Prof. Obadare will probably learn from that article from a young mind that its due to governments non-challant attitude - to issues that concern education especially funding – that our graduates are almost unemployable. That’s why they are half-baked – whatever that means.
Leaving the shores of one’s country, certainly does not remove one from the realities in that country. At a difficult time such as this, we should all join ASUU in asking the government to be responsible and responsive to its citizen because our silence only gives them and Prof. Obadare the impression that we disapprove of ASUU’s demand. The issues precipitating the strike, is way beyond pay rise or the sack of Unilorin 49. In a very large part, it is about creating a conducive learning environment for the students, it is about the availability of teaching materials especially in the laboratories, it is about the autonomy and independence of the university, it is about improved funding to enable the lecturers bring out the best that our future has to offer.

What is not expected of Prof. Obadare at this time, is not to castigate ASUU or the university system, perhaps if he has learnt new lessons in his promise land, would it be more appropriate if he shares same with us? I believe –even if has ‘beef’ for ASUU - he can at least, do well to tell the government how University of Kansas is run and funded, since he can’t proffer to ASUU how they can alternatively drive home their demand other than through strike. For the critics of ASUU, I would say attacking what you see as your enemy is as senseless as punching yourself. If you ask ASUU to go back and continue in this state of decay, remember that their product will either lead you tomorrow or will be available for you to hire. Think about that!

http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3495:memo-to-asuu&catid=96:columnists&Itemid=350