Payment Of Half Salaries: Nonchalant Act Of FG Towards Lecturers Of Public Institutions -By Mukhtar Garba Kobi

For the past eight months, lecturers and students of public universities in Nigeria were at homes due to the industrial action embarked by the academic staffs, the strike have crippled the smooth teaching and learning as well as the incomes generated by such institutions. The strike was conditionally suspended weeks ago following series of meetings in which both parties buried their hatchets for the sake of students but unfortunately, the Federal Government of Nigeria on its side failed to pay lecturers’ full entitlements stating categorically that they did not work for some weeks.

Memorably, Academic Staffs Union of University (ASUU) members amidst negotiation talks with FG was summoned by the court to suspend their strike and they abided without hesitation whereby works resumed fully in some public universities. It would be a compliment over the sacrifices lecturers have made if they are paid full salaries but the careless action of government has brought to the fore that it care not about the future of students. Suspension of the strike came to many as surprise because hope was lost considering the time taken, students that cater for school fees, foods and study materials by themselves were greatly perturbed.

Similarly, week ago, a University student whom I knew had gone round houses of relatives where they contributed food stuffs while others gave him some amounts for resumption, that very student would be sad if he know that lecturers are planning to suspend the conditional suspended strike for the upcoming fresh one. The hopes of numerous university students of graduating this years which was revived after month of being in comatose would be laid back in a shackles of uncertainties. Staying at homes by energetic students without doing anything beneficial would make short-minded ones start developing negative ideas.

The educational sector which was the last sector that let people from high, middle and low classes mingle and live together to actualize their ambitions is gradually becoming unaffordable especially to those from poor backgrounds. Before the strike starts, some government owned institutions decided to double their annual tuition fees, landlords also increased house rents around schools without hostels and prices of food stuffs always on the rise while governments did nothing to stabilize the situations. Today, the ASUU leadership would decide on whether to embark on another industrial action following failure of government to pay its members full remunerations or resolve to other measures.

In conclusion, the future of Nigeria’s university students relies in the decisive hands of Federal Government, it may do nothing and ruin it or do as expected for the betterment of all. Some countries view it as shameful act for academicians to go on strike when governments failed but reverse is the case in Africa as both students and lecturers are left to dwindle in uncertainties. Therefore, it is of paramount importance for authorities concerned to do the needful by fulfilling if not all but most of the promises made to lecturers for the teaming youths to study and contribute their quotas for the development of the Nigeria.

Mukhtar writes from Bauchi and can be reached via garbakobim@gmail.com