Buhari should asks Adamu Adamu to resign as Minister of Education for his inability to resolve Asuu Strike

 

Nigerian politicians are truly heartless and mindless. I just watched the Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu on TV yesterday night instigating Nigerian students to take ASUU to court and claim damages for 'wasting their time'. He also informed his listeners that the federal government will not pay the 6 months salary arrears that has accrued to ASUU members as a result of the ongoing strike action. 

I have been convinced over the years that the greatest challenge of the fledgling Nigerian state is the type of poor political leadership it has been infested with over the years. Leadership requires a high level of intellectual excellence and know-how. Our present crop of leaders have a strong imbecilic intellectual disposition.

In saner climes Adamu Adamu should have resigned long ago as Minister of Education for his inability to resolve the crisis in the University system which has lasted up to 6 months now and counting. His poor and jaundiced brain will not allow him to know that such unfortunate scenario can only play out when the minister in charge of the ministry cannot proffer critical and positive solutions to ensure that the thorny and contentious issues are timely resolved. 

Perhaps what Adamu Adamu is simply suggesting is that the Universities will not open this year otherwise how do you expect the lecturers who have not been paid for upwards of 6 months and above to return to the classroom and teach?

Adamu is not even ashamed that in Nigerian Universities, the highest paid professor gets less than 500K as monthly salary which is less than 700 United States Dollars today. It is a national disgrace. 

Time has come for us to tell ourselves some home truths. It is not a must that we must have Universities in Nigeria but if we must have, then we must be prepared to fund them adequately to make them centers of intellectual excellence and not mushroom schools as we currently have.

What is the logic in establishing new Universities indiscriminately whereas the old ones are not adequately funded? In other climes, most facilities in new Universities are adequately provided before the take off of such schools but in our own case Universities that have been in existence for 20 or 30 years do not have basic facilities. 

Finally Adamu Adamu swallowed his venomous pride and agreed that ASUU's University payment solution brainchild UTAS outscored their preferred own IPPIS in the assessment and rating. At least he has said the truth for once. However recall that this same government and their cohorts have done everything humanly possible to frustrate UTAS and denigrate ASUU. If UTAS will be deployed in the Universities, it is as a result of ASUU's doggedness and insistence.

No matter what the outcome of this strike is, ASUU has fought the good fight. The Union has shown uncommon resilience and rare courage in the face of teething opposition and barefaced lies from this shameless government. ASUU should be proud of it's members who are people of integrity and courage. History will be kind to us.

Dr Godwin Okaneme

Perhaps, the Minister of Power should ask electricity consumers to also sue for damages following recent electricity workers' strike and the rresultant blac out.