…says professors should earn as much as judges

By Emem Idio, Yenagoa

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State Chapter, says government’s deliberate poor remuneration of university lecturers appears to be a planned action intended to achieve a malicious outcome to make education unattractive so as to discourage the masses’ pursuit of western education.

ASUU FUO noted with dismay that the Federal Government-ASUU renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement which has taken fifteen years of dialogue is now stuck in a state of quagmire, adding that while the government may think that the deadlock serves its interest, it may realize very quickly that if nothing is done to change the current situation it may regret its neglect of the demands of lecturers.

This is contained in a resolution signed by ASUU FUO Chairperson Comrade Bruno Ikuli after its Special Congress which had in attendance lecturers, students of the institution and highly placed leaders of the university community.

The resolutions said: “The Congress acknowledged that rather than engage its academia in open, free, fair and honest dialogue targeted at extracting viable ideas for national development, the Federal Government prefers to slavishly kowtow paths earmarked by the Bretonwood institutions (i.e., the IMF, World Bank, WTO, etc.), IFIs and submit to directions provided by the world’s former direct colonizers. This way, government sustains colonial legacies and keep the Nigerian state neocolonized.

“The Congress notes with revulsion that, no doubt, that the capitalists in the Nigerian government harvest huge profits from the collapse and decay of the public University education sector: their private university businesses boom following demise of public varsities; thus it expresses shock that nearly a significant number of past and serving Governors and top FG officials attempt to establish personal private universities, secondary and primary schools often with monies traceable to public treasury loots.

“The Congress notes that government’s deliberate poor remuneration of public University lecturers appears to be a planned action intended to achieve a malicious outcome, namely: ‘make educators and education unattractive so as to discourage the masses’ pursuit of western education.’

“Perhaps, there’s a connection between poor funding of university education, brigandage, banditry, terrorism, ethnic insurrections, etc., in the country. Here, we may guess or establish a fact: that of a hidden hand of government behind the intractable Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, ethnic militias, etc. The rewards for criminals and criminality are far more than the benefits that accrue to lecturers. Several persons who ventured into the lecturing profession as car owners have been reduced to mere “leggedes” owners. This reality is not just disturbing, but also a shameful one.

“Deep into Congress, both the students and community leaders expressed support for the lecturers and called on the FG to turn a new leaf. They appeal to the government to pay lecturers living wages. They request that Professors should earn as much as judges, while the overall income of the politicians should be reduced to level with those of civil servants.

“The Special Congress also saw the need for the FG to take the issue of revitalization of public Universities seriously. It likens the proliferation of Universities to irresponsible parenthood. It exemplified the situation to that of poor parents, who multiply children even when they live in acute poverty, are unable to provide the kids’ basic necessities of life and without offering them any moral compass in life.

“Asides, the Special Congress notes with dismay that in the 21st century, politicians are still so ignominiously overcome and enwrapped with such an appalling sense of greed and avarice, they worship western neo-colonialists at the expense of their own academia and intelligentsia as well as neglect their students, who signify the future of the country.”

In his remarks, the ASUU FUO Chairman Comrade Ikuli added: “Topmost on the list of lecturers’ demands are as follows: the FG should complete its 2009 renegotiation with ASUU, pay the EAA captured in the 2023 budget after which it should mainstream EAA into lecturers’ monthly salaries, replace IPPIS with UTAS, release revitalization funds to the Universities, pay sabbatical and adjunct lecturers their outstanding salaries.”

The ASUU Chairman identified other requests as follows “granting Universities autonomy by reinstating the dissolved Governing Councils and protecting them against unlawful future dissolutions, and implementation of the white papers of the 2023 visitation panels to the public universities, among others.”