‘ASUU strike fit end in one day’ – Prof. Osodeke

Di President of di Academic Staff Union of Universities, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke say di federal goment and di union go meet on Thursday to continue dia toks about di ongoing union strike.

Professor Osodeke tok wen im speak wit Arise TV on Wednesday as e dey answer questions about di strike.

ASUU don dey on strike since 14 February, 2022 sake of goment failure to meet di agreement wey dem sign wit di union.

But di university professor say di issue fit dey resolved in just one or two days if goment dey ready to solve am.

Di ASUU president also accuse di minister of Labour Chris Ngige for recently taking dem go court wen pro chancellors dey get discussion wit President Muhammadu Buhari on how to resolve di strike.

E also wonder why Ngige go carri di mata go court wen di Speaker of di House of Representatives don already dey intervene for di mata.

Di National Industrial Court (NIC) wey sit for Abuja on Wednesday, 21 September order make ASUU end dia seven month old strike.

Prof Osodeke tok about di decision of di court say: “Why you dey try force lecturers go class? And if you force dem go class, how you dey sure say una go get di best of teaching and research? Dis issue fit dey resolved for one day if di goment side dey interested to resolve am,” im tok.

Professor Osodeke say Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige and Minister of Education Adamu Adamu neva invite dem for any formal meeting for ova two months.

Di university lecturer say di reason why goment dey drag di mata na sake of say dia relations no dey attend public universities.

“If you dey run a system and your own relations, your children no dey di system, e no fit work, you no dey system. If dia relations dey school for Nigerian universities, dem no go dey do all dis tin wey dem dey do now. You go court and wan get judgement to force dem go class, how dem go teach, how dem go ensure say you get di best for your pipo, you go do dat kind tin if your children dey dose universities?”

Professor Osodeke say im hope say di National Assembly go get di courage to pass bill wey go ensure say public servant pikin dem go dey for public schools and di public servants dem go make use of public healthcare.

E say if di strike end tomorrow, all di issues go die and nobodi go mention am again.

“Di problem wit Nigeria na strike and e no dey correct. Strike na symptom of problem, and wen you solve dat problem di issue don dey solved,” Professor Osodeke tok.

Speaking about di issue of revitalisation of Nigerian universities, e say anybodi wey enta di institutions go know say dem no dey good enuf.

“Dem no dey good enuf to attract lecturers from all ova di world. Dem no dey good enuf to attract students from all ova di world. Our lecturers and students dey leave di kontri, everibodi dey aware,” im tok.

Professor Osodeke say di union bin sign agreement wit ex-President Goodluck Jonathan administration say goment go dey put 200 billion naira into di Nigerian university system so dem go fit attract lecturers from all ova di world and di schools go dey able to conduct research wey go generate revenue for dem.

“For 2014, di Jonathan administration release 200 billion naira to di system, and wen you go round today, you go see dem well labelled – Needs Assessment Project,” di lecturer tok.

E say since di beginning of President Muhammadu Buhari administration, na only 50 billion out of 1.1 trillion im administration don release to all di universities.

Professor Osodeke say if goment do wetin dem suppose to do as per di agreement wey dem sign, strike no go dey.

Timeline of Asuu strike

Graphics wey show timeline of Asuu strike

BBC
Graphics show Asuu strike timeline

BBC

‘Conflict of interest’

Professor Osodeke also say some public servants no want public universities to work sake of say dem get dia own universities.

E say if public universities work, di private universities wey politicians establish no go get enough students.

 “You see, we get conflict of interest, a number of di hierarchy for political circle get private universities.

If di public universities work, dia own go collapse. As I dey tok to you, 95% of Nigerian students still dey public universities. About 5% dey dis multiple private universities. So conflict of interest dey. If your children dey private universities, you get or your friend get private university, how you go allow di public ones to work? Because if e work, you no go get your students. So na di problem wey we dey get be dat,” Professor Osodeke tok.

Professor Osodeke say di way forward na for goment to come to dem wit open mind and not to force lecturers to go back to class.

E say make di goment emulate wetin former President Goodluck Jonathan do for 2014.

Wetin be di way forward?

Di national university commission say negotiations still dey go on wit public university lecturers wey dey on strike.

Na wetin tok-tok pesin for NUC Haruna Ajo tell BBC, e say universities dey open.

Im tok dey come afta goment bin withdraw letter wey bin ask vice- chancellors to reopen universities nationwide.

Oga Adjo no tok why goment make di U-turn but e give update on di strike.

“We still dey negotiate,” na wetin Ajo tok.

“All di oda unions don suspend dia strike na only di lecturers wey no dey campus,”  Ajo add put.