Elder statesman and senior advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Robert Clarke has accused the academic staff union of Nigeria universities, ASUU, of destroying the nation’s education system by embarking on incessant strike actions.
“ASUU is destroying Nigeria education,” Clarke stated in a channels television current affairs program, ‘Sunrise daily’ monitored in Abuja
He explained that the union has embarked on strike cumulatively for over 20 years without corresponding results and achievements, and called on the body to stop embarking on indefinite strikes as it will not achieve anything but to have increasing effects on the education system
“Indefinite strike will not do it for ASUU, they have adopted this measure for over twenty years with no achievement, Clarke said, adding that such method of strike was not acceptable.
He argued that if all industrial unions decide to go on strike the way the ASUU has done, what will be of the country.
“If everybody must go on strike, what will be of Nigeria, he queried, adding that the body’s problem is similar to the Nigeria Medical Association”
Similarly, reacting to the current strike by the university teachers, the Kano University of Technology Alumni Association declared that industrial action always embarked by the university lecturers was no longer fashionable in Nigeria.
The association also charged the striking university lecturers to be creative in fighting the course of education in the country.
Addressing newsmen in Kano recently, one of the members of the alumni group, Fahad Ibrahim Danladi, stated that “resorting to industrial action as a means of arm twisting the federal government overtime has not in any way yielded any positive result, more especially now that downing of tools has become a bandwagon in resolving industrial dispute in Nigeria.
“I personally believe that their approach should be different from the current practice which in my opinion would refocus the strategy in industrial dispute. I don’t subscribed to this whole concept of strike action that has been made notorious. It has not worked out anything and I don’t think it’s a panacea to the lingering problems facing education in Nigeria.”
Danladi though, agreed that ASUU is fighting a genuine course but maintained that the association’s position is that there has to be alternative to strike to save the future of the teeming students.
“I’m saying with all modesty that the industrial actions of the ASUU have been detrimental to the nation’s education sector and have not yielded any positives and as such they should change tactics and adopt new measures that are going to help the education.”
The KUT alumni however urged the federal government to see to the quick resolution of the impasse to allow students resume lectures and other academic activities.
The ASUU was formed in 1978 as a successor to the Nigerian Association of University Teachers formed in 1965 and covering academic staff in the University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Ife and University of Lagos
The union was active in struggles against the military regime during the 1980s.
In 1988 the union organized a National Strike to obtain fair wages and university autonomy. As a result, the ASUU was proscribed on 7 August 1988 and all its property seized. It was allowed to resume in 1990, but after another strike was again banned on 23 August 1992.
However, an agreement was reached on 3 September 1992 that met several of the union’s demands including the right of workers to collective bargaining.
The ASUU organized further strikes in 1994 and 1996, protesting against the dismissal of staff by the Sani Abacha military regime.