Falling standard, amidst ASUU’s threat -By Jimoh Abdullahi

None of Nigerian Public Universities were able to be in the top ten among the Universities in Africa in the recent released webometrics ranking of Universities in the world in August 2021, by the cybermetrics lab, a research group belonging to the consejo superior de investigaciones científicas (CSIC), the largest public research body in Spain.

The nascent of a University as best, centers on a numbers of far- reaching consequences of such a University like ; Teaching, Research, Academic reputation, Financial sustainability , international diversity, Funding offer to students, Award winners and a lots more . Although, American and British Universities are those ones leading in the world but in Africa, it is South African Public Universities.

So, what relegated Nigerian conventional Universities from making it to top ten has a myriad of reasons which are; absence of ultranationalistic spirit, lack of zeal for teaching profession, low research, poor funding from the government.University of Ibadan was one of a standard Universities in Africa being a premier University in Nigeria in the early 50’s and 60’s respectively. When it was not in control of Nigerian military government. It was a University that attracted different people in some other parts of world during the colonial era. Even things were okay for the conventional Universities in the first republic . But things turn around for virtually all public universities when the military government took over, couple with the activity a Trade union called Academic Staff Unions of University (ASUU), founded in 1978 to replace the defunct Nigerian Association of University teacher (NAUT) of 1965. However, being a union that takes interest of its members to the forefront. The first-ever strike they embark on, was, the Nationwide strike of 1988 during Ibrahim Babangida regime. And the basis of the strike was to press home its demands which were both autonomy and fair wages.

Another one still resurfaced in 1994 and 1996 over the dismissal of some its members during Abacha era. And its violent wind continues to blow up till now, the longest of it in history was 2020 strike, that was tensed by the covid-19 pandemic. That unfold dependent nature of the Union, which one the problems, facing Public Universities.

Nobody is disputing the fact that, these people need to be taking care of, by the government (because whatever success the country records, it owe it to them in the areas of innovations if any).

Nigerian lecturer earn low wage in Africa not to talk of advanced countries. A Nigerian lecturer earn the maximum of #1, 649,509 $4009 per year, according to Current School News (CSN), South African currency of that salary is (RandR 61,151) per year, which means, 137,459 per month, for a lecturer II master degree holder, compare their salaries to what a typical average lecturer earn in Johannesburg per year South Africa, which is RandR 587,532 $ 38,544. Even, in Uganda, a graduate assistant that is, a degree holder earn Ush 9,555,260 $2,706. And the industrial action of ASUU persists over the Union ‘s failure to utilize their initiative and rather shift their attention from government by using their respective internally generated revenue (IGR), Grant and Aids of their schools to keep moving on pending the time unserious government will answer them. Well, government business is not anybody business whether it collapses they are less concern but the children of the poor will suffer the course.

Shamelessly, ASUU is beating another drum of fresh industrial action by giving government a three weeks ultimatum over non- compliance of the government to their agreement. What ASUU should know is, if strike is the alternative or the solution that can cast a spell bound to fascinate a mulish government, all their demand would been met all these years. ASUU considered strike an innocuous and solution-driven not knowing that it is as poisonous as snake’s venom. In fact, it is paralysing and damaging.

In the 2021 National budget, only 5.6% a lowest of United Nation Education and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) declaration of 26% compare it to Kenya where 23.1% is allotted for education. In the history of budget allocated for education in Nigeria, between 2011- 2021 it does not reach 10%. The only year it reached 9.4% was 2014, and it started to diminish from 2016, 6.10%.

The funniest of it all was, President Muhammad Buhari’s vow of 50% for education by 2022 as contains in a document titled “Head of state call to action on Education financing ahead of global Education summit signed as a form of commitment at the recent Education summit in London. Even an unborn baby knows that, it is a reverie. After many years in office, he just thought of that now ,after things has fallen apart. And government also encourages strike by paying those union the money they do not work for, after math of their industrial action which negate what is in the trade act. So, the rot plague to the country public Universities is translucent enough to the extent it invoke all public officials and some useless private individuals a xenophile to send their children abroad, who cares about the children of the poor parents.

Those are the problems the capitalists in the country are not oblivious of, and that gives an avenue for proliferation of private Universities to reach 79 in numbers 90% of the available public Universities which is 91 both Federal and State Universities. And more are going to be established.

In the face of 40.1% of people living below poverty line according to the National Bureau of statistics (NBS) between September, 2018-October, 2019.

According to a news circulating around that Federal government is considering giving each student a loan worth 1million naira which the ASUU chairman said the Union averse to. If it is so, where do government expect poor majority students, get the loan refund? In a country where those living below poverty line hold #137,430/ $381.75 per year according to NBS analysis.

Jimoh Abdullahi, a freelance journalist writes from University of Ilorin
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