Let me make it categorically clear that I’m not writing for Education Minister, Adamu Adamu or any other interests. Rather, I want ASUU to reflect on it’s mistakes and the blunders of the National President, Prof Emmanuel Osodoke in the on going strike action.
You may not believe it. By his actions, Adamu Adamu is indirectly shielding ASUU against harsh Government policies. I’m sure some members of ASUU will respond, “why then did he stop our salaries?”
People may not understand the reason now. Consider the following actions of Adamu Adamu which demonstrated his love for ASUU;
1) The UNILAG Saga
I was a victim of Adamu Adamu’s blind love for ASUU. In September 2018, I was appointed the Chairman of a Council Committee to investigate the expenditure of the University of Lagos. We came up with a report, popularly known as the Dagari report in UNILAG circles. The report indicted members of the UNILAG Management of corruption, leading to the removal of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe in August, 2020.
The UNILAG ASUU chapter immediately went into propaganda twisting the facts of the matter. ASUU National body under Prof Ogunyemi joined in. Adamu Adamu then set up a kangaroo special visitation panel of former Vice-chancellors to investigate a Council which removed a Vice-Chancellor from office. The committee recommended the reinstatement of Prof Ogundipe and dissolution of the Governing Council. Soon after that, the Chairman of the panel, Prof Tukur Sa’ad faulted the recommendations of the panel in a letter to the Minister, saying ” I regret signing the report.”
A regular visitation panel to the University led by General Martin Luther Agwai discovered even more corrupt practices. They also found that the removal of Prof Ogundipe followed due process, contrary to the report of the Prof Sa,ad’s special panel. One would expect Adamu Adamu to review the case and make a special report to Mr President. But, he chose not to do just that.
2) Reports of the Regular Visitation Panels to Federal Universities
ASUU may wish to know that some Chairmen and members of these panels are past and present members of the union. The reports are damn very dirty. As part of the demands for the current strike action, ASUU has insisted on release of White Paper on these reports. The Minister chose to be adamant to let sleeping dogs lie. Why is the Minister doing that? He doesn’t want to open a can of worms, which may eventually spark a round of crisis that may involve University managements and staff unions inclusive.
3) The Ngige Storm
Everybody is fully aware of the exchanges between the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige and ASUU. The Minister by his actions had gathered enough evidence on violations of provisions of the Constitution, National and International labour laws over the strike period. He was about to strike, when the President summoned a meeting of stakeholders at which Adamu Adamu requested to be allowed to handle the crisis in his own way.
When Health Workers Union went on strike, they quickly suspended the strike in view of eminent dangers ahead.
Coming back to the issue of salary stoppage, ASUU is not the only union whose members salaries were stopped on account of strike action. Government applied the provision of Section 43 of the 2004 Trade Disputes Act. The mistake of ASUU with regards to payment of withheld salaries was engaging the Minister in social media. As it is now, even a Suya vendor knows that the withheld salaries of University lecturers would not be paid. In the past, the issue of withheld salaries was was never brought to public domain. The leaders then in their wisdom lobbied Government to get the salaries paid.
4) Attitude of Adamu Adamu towards the Current Strike Action
Anybody who knows the History of ASUU and chooses to be fair, would agree that Adamu Adamu is indirectly shielding ASUU.The antecedents of Prof Ben Nwabueze, M. T. Liman, Dr. Tunde Adediraand very recently Nyesom Wike are fresh in our minds.
In my opinion, Adamu Adamu would not want to do anything to harm the union in this crisis period. He doesn’t want to go down in History as the Minister to lead the proscription of a union he was defending prior to his appointment as Minister. ASUU members are busy abusing the wrong person. If it were another Minister of Education, the union would have been proscribed by now.
Since the Minister has chosen to quietly shield the union against a looming proscription, the strike will proceed for a long time now. The victims are poor lecturers, students and their parents.
The position taken by the Minister, in my opinion is unfortunate. He cannot be with Government and be supporting ASUU quietly. Definitely, he cannot eat his cake and have it. There must be a headway to this crisis. The embattled Minister must learn to take definitive position in official duties. Sitting on the fence will make matters worse.
Dr Saminu Dagari writes from Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State.
