The walkout by Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, from a meeting with protesting students last Monday was unbecoming and immature. He did not act with the necessary restraint and dignity that befit his high office.

The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, led by its President, Mr. Sunday Asefon, had visited him in his office to air their grievances over the ongoing one-month warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

Asefon had warned that if government failed to meet the demands of ASUU within the period of their warning strike NANS would take actions that would make the historic #EndSARS protests of October 2020 a child’s play.

He also made a very brilliant suggestion that NANS should represent the students in resolving the protracted issues between the lecturers’ union and the Federal Government.

Obviously, the issue that angered the Minister to storm out of the meeting was when Asefon reminded him that his children were enjoying unfettered education in universities abroad, adding that their own parents could not afford to send them abroad.

The futility of that angry walkout was underscored by the fact that Adamu still had to meet later with the NANS leaders at the National Universities Commission, NUC, secretariat. By then, his temper had cooled enough to engage the students with appropriate equanimity.

Perhaps for the first time, Malam Adamu disclosed that the contentious issues contained in the Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, signed with ASUU in 2009 and Memorandum of Action (2020) were being repackaged for possible endorsement by both parties, perhaps with the NANS included this time.

His walkout was like adding salt to injury. It was contempt indirectly aimed at millions of Nigerians who are forced to bear the effects of ASUU’s unending strikes.
People in government like Adamu should be reminded that the opulence of high office and the accompanying perks belong to the people and they have the right to ask questions and demand answers.

Just 14 months from now, Adamu will leave the office. He should ask himself what he has done during the two terms that President Muhammadu Buhari gave him to solve our educational problems.

We also hope that the new strategy he referred to is being packaged along with ASUU. How will it relate to the MOU and MOA which the Federal Government repeatedly failed to honour? We hope this might not worsen the situation.

Vanguard News Nigeria