INTENSIVE TIME-BOUND NEGOTIATION CAN SOLVE ASUU STRIKE, OYE IBIDAPO-OBE
Former Vice-Chancellor University of Lagos,Prof Oye Ibidapo-Obe on Wednesday called for intensive time-bound negotiation to solve the incessant strike of Academic Staff Union of University,ASUU.
The university don gave this submission while reacting on penpushing social media platform,over the ongoing strike embarked upon by the university teacher,stressing that,time bound negotiation remained alternative way out.
Ibidapo-Obe, who is a member of the platform and guest lecturer at the maiden anniversary of the platform,noted that,his personal challenge was that university teachers being part and parcel of Nigerian elites has brought the country so low
’As for ASUU strike alternative; I believe that it is better to engage in intensive time-bound negotiation. My personal challenge is that university teachers being part and parcel of the Nigerian elites that has brought us and our nation, this low?’
He said, the authorities should ingeniously find a strategy,without much fanfare,to restore the nation’s sanity,stressing that he was convinced that,the academic strikes are more likely to give our education system poorer perception.
‘Should ingeniously find a strategy, without much fanfare, to restore the nation’s sanity. I honestly believe that the academic strikes are more likely to give our education system poorer perception’,he posited.
In his own submission, Owolabi Oladejo,founder of Impact FM Radio station said, strike remained a bully strategy and may never solve any dispute.
‘To me, strike is a bully strategy. It has not and may never solve any dispute. Just like war, nobody benefit from strikes’,he explained.
‘There will always be disagreements, frustrations and anger and I think it is good for mutual growth if properly handled. I think time is now ripe for the elites to find a more credible means for aggrieved people to vent their anger rather than trying to hold the system to ransom at every twist’,Oladejo declared.
Also speaking on the development, Bolaji Fajounbo, a journalist and member of the platform, said he was of the opinion that,the strike strategy of the university teachers is worn out
‘I am aware that government can be very pretentious and almost always coming up with silly platitudes,still,universities as breeding places for intellectuals ought by now to know that the strikes approach hardly achieves the desired results with Nigerian rulers,therefore, a better results achieving mode by these Ivory Towers will effectively expose government inanities’,he posited.
Similarly, Bolu Olu-Esho said, ‘It is disheartening to seek support for government t in this circumstance when it is glaring that it deliberately ignored what focused nations treat with utmost seriousness’.
‘Education, to my understanding, should be In the front-burner. Public officeholders destroyed public educational facilities to establish theirs, making it impossible for children from poor homes to have education’,he stated.
‘ Quite a number of us on this platform would have probably be somethingelse if we were born in this age in this country. What’s stopping the government to fund education properly. It didn’t start with this administration, but must it continue?’
‘ If strike is the only language understood by people in power as shown in the SSANU’s case cited here, then let it be. It is a known fact that progress recorded so far in the tertiary education sector are products of either outright strike or looming strike’.
In his own remark,a senior worker with Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta,Abdussobur Salam said, ‘unfortunately, the Nigerian labour system does not recognize any other form of engagements but strikes’.
‘That is why it appears that it is only through strikes that ASUU is heard. Sadly too, when listening to ASUU, rather than address issues holistically, they address only ASUU alone, causing the other unions to also go on strike to ensure their own issues are also addressed. So, while we do not enjoy strikes, we are compelled by circumstances to go for it’,Salam added.
‘To implement one of the issues in the agreement, SSANU sought relief from the National Industrial Court last year. We had a choice of strike but decided to use legal processes. The NIC ruled in favor of SSANU in December 2016. Till date, the matter was not appealed against,neither was it implemented’,he stated.
‘The attention of the Vice- President Osinbajo,Minister of Education, Attorney General and ES NUC has been drawn to the court judgement but they keep prevaricating whereas, the lives of almost two thousand university workers nationwide are kept in limbo. For a government that is supposed to respect rule of law, its actions have been utterly disrespectful. The implication is that when our patience runs out, we adopt processes that may be confrontational’.
‘Government needs to be more responsible and responsive. ASUU too has many shortcomings which it has to overcome if it is really sincere in upgrading the system’,Salam emphasised.
