|
ASUU strike: The way out
In 2006, in a bid to
review the workability of the 2001 agreement reached by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government, former President Olusegun Obasanjo set up the Gamaliel Onosode team to negotiate with the union on how to resolve all the issues raised by the university teachers.
ASUU had approached the government team led by Onosode with a four-point agenda on university funding, improved conditions of service, university autonomy and academic freedom as well as miscellaneous demands that included alternative funding and assurance that more Nigerians get access to quality university education.
In spite of the fact that the president, Umaru Yar’Adua, the vice-president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the Minister of Education, Dr. Sam Egwu, are all products of the university community, the teachers strike continue to disrupt academic activities.
The Nigerian university system is at comatose. Regular disruption of academic calender has created a lot of problems in Nigeria.
General Obasanjo failed to solve the problems of Nigerian leacturers before he left office.
The brain drain syndrome could be traced to frequent strikes and the lack of a conducive environment for proactive and intellectual research.
Nigeria is blessed with great lecturers but the leaders have refused to listen to their problems.
Before now, UNESCO had advised the Federal Government to earmark 26 percent of its budget on education for progressive development. It is appalling that Nigerian universities are not ranked among the first 200 in the world. What a shame! But whether we like it or not, the old generation universities cannot be compared with private universities in terms of lecturers’ qualifications and academic standards.
Most of our leaders passed through these universities which have now become a shadow of their former selves.
Even foreign lecturers are not better than their counterparts in Nigeria. Many of those teaching in foreign universities are Nigerians who were not comfortable with the way things were in the Nigerian education sector and had to go in search of career fulfilment elsewhere.
It is high time the president implemented the agreement reached with ASUU.
Nigerian students are not happy with the Yar’Adua administration because they will bear the brunt of the indefinite strike embarked upon by ASUU .
Godday Odidi,
Lagos.
aguri_god@yahoo.co.uk
|
|
To President Yar’Adua on Cross River and Akwa-Ibom states
It is important to appeal to President
Umaru Yar’Adua to ensure that the a looming catastrophe in the Niger Delta is avoided by applying a political solution to the problem between Cross River and Akwa Ibom States.
This kind of political solution was employed when ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo tried to deprive Akwa Ibom of its oil producing status and ex-Governor Attah fought back.
It will be recalled that ex-military president, Ibrahim Babaginda, through the intervention of many notable indigenes of Akwa Ibom State, including the then Akwa Ibom State military governor, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (rtd) and Christy Essien, abrogated the obnoxious on-shore and off-shore dichotomy, which gave Akwa Ibom its oil producing status; this was further ratified by the National Assembly during the democratic dispensation.
The 76 oil wells we are talking about today, which have become the bone of contention between Cross River and Akwa Ibom states are off-shore in nature and if that abrogation was not done, none of the two states but the Federal Government would have been their custodian.
Sir, it is expected that you will find a political solution to the debacle. With that, more catastrophes would be avoided. It is said that a stitch in time saves nine, and to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Itoro Akpabio,
186 Umuahia Road,
Ikot Ekpene,
Akwa Ibom State.
|
|
|
|
|
Gov Alao-Akala, save us from darkness
It is true that there is short supply of electricity in
Ibadan, but the situation in Agbowo is despicable.
The Ile-Eja axis of Agbowo is the worst hit. The transformer is bad, such that even when it works, the people enjoy electricity only for a little while before it goes bad again.
From records, past governments had always treated this part of Ibadan as a leper, such that it would be hard to find any working social amenity in the area. Despite the perpetual darkness, PHCN still, shamelessly, brings bills for residents who pay for what they have not consumed.
I urge the people's governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, to, please, have mercy on his electorate living at Agbowo. We need transformers vis-a-vis constant electricity to have a sense of belonging.
Ebenezer Adurokiya,
Ile-Eja,
Agbowo,
Ibadan,
Oyo State.
|
|
|
|
|
