From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State, Professor M .S Audu, on Wednesday enjoined the the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) to inject some dynamism and new ideas in her approaches to their demands so as to averts incessant strike actions.
The University Don who was speaking on Wednesday in Lokoja as the Guest Speaker at an occasion marking the 50th birthday of the Rector, Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, Dr Salisu Ogbo.
said the ASUU will need to change its approach in negotiating with Government in order to avert incessant strike as the present approach has become obsolete.
Professor Audu who disclosed this in his paper titled, ‘Federal government of Nigeria – Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASSU) Imbroglio: Interrogating the issues and the way forward’ said that the present approach, which had been in use for the past 40 years, had proved to be ineffective and a new way of negotiation had to be exploited.
“For incessant strike by ASUU to be a thing of the past, there is need for ASUU to change the tactics it has been using for over 40 years without much tangible results,” he said.
“For the past 45 years, ASUU has adopted the same strategy of agitation for welfare of its members and the state of the universities and the nation.
“In the last 23 years, ASUU has embarked on strike action 16 times. It can be safely said that since the return to democracy in 1999, public universities have been shut down for four years. It takes a normal Bachelor degree programme four years to complete.”
He said parents should wake up to the reality that education is not cheap anywhere in the world and Nigeria is not an exemption.
“The Federal Government on the other hand should find an appropriate finance options to fund education as the current arrangement does not meet UNESCO 20 per cent of national budget,” Audu added.
Highlights of the occasion was the cultural display by Ogani – Angwa and Ugwolo group from Ankpa Local government area of Kogi state.
