The crisis in Nigeria's education sector: A pointer to the insensitivity of the Federal Government

Nigeria is a country where we fail to learn from our past history - it is rather unfortunate! The incessant industrial strike actions by ASUU seem not be understood as attempts to force the Federal Government to be sensitive to its responsibilities to the education sector in the land. All the past executive Presidents and Heads of States in Nigeria have never passed through the walls of the universities for which we can rationalise on the long battle that ASUU had with those administrations. Now we have President Umar Yar Adua, a Master degree holder and former lecturer at the helm of affairs, why is there no change in the same old story?

I have read an article titled "Nigeria: Looking Beyond ASUU's Aluta Continua" credited to one Dr. Thomas Olusanya and published in the AllAfrica.com with keen attention. Sincerely, I did not expect anything more lucid from a typical Nigerian civil or public servant like Dr. Thomas Olusanya, a retired Director in the Ministry of Education especially that the ongoing ASUU strilke is about pointing accusinbg fingers on the Federal or/and State Government. It is unknown why Dr Olusanya failed to indicate the tier of government his ministry was affiliated to - whether State or Federal.

With due regards to our dear action Governor of Lagos State, who I see as a good ambassador of the newbreed progressive politicians in Nigeria, His Excellency Gov Fashola, let me state that there is no misnomer in the position of ASUU to negotiate a unified salary structure for the public universities (State and Federal). The graduates from federal universities do contribute to the economic development of the respective States through the national service and ultimate permanent employment, ditto for products of State universities working in Federal institutions. It is reasonable to add too, that the UN regulations that stipulates the allocation of 26% of the national recurrent budget on Education was signed to by the Federal Government of Nigeria and becomes binding on the component State Governemnts.

To go down the memory lane, it was one of the proposals by ASUU during one of its past struggles, precisely 1992 that advised Nigerian Government on how to adequately fund education that gave rise to the founding of the Education Tax Fund (ETF) under the instrument of the Education Tax Fund Act, 1993. Whether that establishment (ETF) lives to its statutory responsibilities to the education sector or not is not a matter for discussion here.

ASUU proposed that "every corporate body in Nigeria pays 2% of their final profit as "education tax" for collection by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, as a way to augment the vote for education by the Federal Government and which can be used for some intervention projects in the higher education sector". I am very sure that educational institutions owned by both the State and Federal tiers of government are benefitting in some kinds or the other from that initiative.

I am very certain that the current ASUU strike is linked to the non-fulfilment of some of the provisions of the 1992 ASUU/FG Agreement. It was provided for in that agreement that it shall be continually reviewed. That makes the contractual document to subsist till date. More so, it was an agreement between ASUU (a body of academic staff of the Federal and State Universities in Nigeria) and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Afterall, the Federal Government, through the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission has always been the one deciding on the wages, including the National minimum wage, for all federal, state and local governments in Nigeria. It is in this spirit that our dear State Governors should be weary of ill-informed advice from some of their education administrators that might be having some sentiments/bias against members of the ivory tower.

ASUU remains the most prominent genuine stakeholder which is patriotic about its concern for enduring educational system in Nigeria. Education remains the best legacy anyone can bequeath his /her children. Education is the bedrock of the future advancement that any country can yearn for.

Finally, it is in the light of the foregoing and for the sake of anything that is patriotic enough that all hands need to be on deck to make the Federal Government to be alife to its responsibility to the education sector. The ongoing ASUU's struggle is required for the betterment of Nigeria's future.

Ayo Onatola

Nigeria: what future lies ahead in its search for a true leader?

We have seen many administrations gone by in Nigeria since after her independence in 1960 till date. so many personalities and names have featured on its landscape and political governance. We have records of the manner of the ends of such personalities - good and bad. The evil that men do lives after them!

Nigeria will continue to be what it is until, we, her people, I mean well intentioned individuals with great determination, resolve to device a workable strategy for evolution of reliable layers of succession in governance, devoid of godfatherism. All of those cases and developments that were highlighted in the forwarded email below only point to the fact that Ghana is better prepared and organised than Nigeria to embrace development in the real sense.

Little wonder why Obama preferred to visit the tiny, democratic and progressive Ghana to coming to the big for nothing Naija, where no values can be pointed at.
Let me quickly state that the sorry tale is not just beginning with Yar Adua please. What precedence from the past Nigerian heads of State/Presidents can Umar Yar Adua point at? What legacy did he inherit from his immediate predecessor in office?

Nigeria as a nation continues to exist in rot as all the personalities opportuned to be at the helm of its affairs lacked patriotism. The circumstances leading to the nation's independence in 1960 were not transparent, without unity of direction and lacked sincerity of purpose among the stakeholders, the so-called nationalists. Many of the past helmsmen were not prepared for the tasks incidental to that hot seat, including Yar Adua. Tafawa Balewa was Prime Minister under the circumstance of sheer betrayal of interest and mistrust in ambitions between the witty AWO and intellectual ZIK.

Lt-Gen Aguiyi Ironsi that was prepared was killed in a bloody coup under a short span in office. Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd) was there for 9 years and we had nothing much to ascribe as notable achievements. Murtala Mohammed was determined to change our orientation but had his life cut short. "Not my Will" was the kernel of acceptance speech by Lt Gen Olusegun Obasanjo when ascending the reins of power in 1976. What legacy has he bequeathed Nigeria? Is the blueprint for the Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) not what he converted to Obasanjo Farms Nigeria, Ota?

The Michael Ani-supervised 'abracadabra', otherwise referred to as the Presidential Elections produced Alhaji Shehu Shagari, a self-declared reluctant Presidential candidate as the winner in 1979. Shagari did not hide his preference to be a Senator until drafted to be the President. Shagari was known not to be in control of the State although reputed as the most travelled of the Nigerian's Presidents/Head of State. No concrete positive development to point at!

Buhari/Idiagbon junta were set to give a new direction in governance to the Nigerian citizens. The slogan War Against Indiscipline (WAI) was about having roots when the administration's life was cut short after 19 months through a "palace coup". The maradonic IBB and self-styled military President was in the saddle for 8 years, during which period corruption became institutionalised. Where do we put the tenure of office of the Ooni of Nigerian Political Leadership i.e. Chief E.A. Shonekan's Interim Government? What shall we reckon on the "deaf and dumb" junta led by Sani Abacha/Oladipo Diya nko? abacha understood nothing rather than shock therapy -perhaps the reason for the kind of death he had. Above all, what did we have to showcase as an iota of normalcy in the Nigerian nation during the Abacha era?

The regime headed by the so-called non-political soldier, Gen. Abdusalaam Abubakar was not better off, going by the record of looting of the treasury that was associated with it, at the expense of positive development. OBJ had a second chance in 1999 as Head of State but as a civilian President. He behaved as if he was the most competent to be in that position relegating the power of providence and the
repercussion that posterity has in stock for him. He used his 8-year rule was to amass personal wealth - the Bell's University and the Presidential Library are a
few of the spoilt of office asssociated with OBJ.

Umar Yar Adua was not a prepared soldier nor a matured democrat to be a President
at the time he did. Godfatherism was at interplay, hence the result we have till date. We cannot expect anything better than what we have in Yar Adua, not even with his sickly physique and confused state of mind, mere looking at him on the TV screen.

Let us continue to pray that God gives Nigeria the leaders that will be patriotic. Let us hope that many people will be born again, after seeing the last respect and honours associated with the funeral ceremonies of the late human rights crusader, the fighter of the masses, the distinguished legal luminary, erudite law author, unrivalled legal publisher and the only indisputable conscience of the Nigerian nation since independence and to date, our own dear Chief Oyesola Abdul-Ganiyu Fawehinmi, SAM, SAN.

The genuine search continues and all hands must be on deck to achieve this dream
of getting another leader in governance whom we can take in the same spirit and image of 'Gani' as a "Senior Advocate of the Masses" and not merely by being a "servant leader" by the words of mouth and not backed with proportionate action.

Thank you.

Ayo Onatola
http://www.wikieducator.org/User:Ayoonatola