The recent proscription of the Kogi State University (KSU) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by the state governor and Visitor to the university, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, in all sense of propriety, is a wrong and hasty decision taken too far.
As a matter fact, it is expected that the governor, as the proprietor of the university, should, on his part, allow decorum to prevail, rather than leveraging on such disapproved draconian action that is devoid of decency in a democratic setting.
If the governor had toed the path of wisdom and allowed sound judgement to take the centre stage in the dispute with the lecturers, he would have erred on the side of reasoning, rather than courting more troubles for himself and the university.
The governor failed to realise his action would not bring about the desired solution to the impasse with the union.
In fact, banning or proscription of ASUU for any governor or government that parades itself to be civil and in a civilised society or environment should have been the last path to tread in the scheme of resolving a crisis with an organised union.
Nevertheless, we are, in every sense of responsibility and duty, against strikes and would never support ASUU to embark on any act that will disrupt academic activities in a university system.
The point here is that for whatever reason, ASUU is never immune to any blame under this situation. More importantly, ASUU, as an embodiment of intelligentsia, should have come to terms with the realities of the universality of the university by realising that strike is no longer popular in the school system, especially in other advanced climes, where universities are being driven by research and knowledge-base.
It is, however, sad that for six months, the university has been in turmoil over ASUU’s protracted strike that has disrupted academic activities as well as continually jeopardise the education and future of the students, who are usually at the receiving end in such situation.
The obvious is that the union should have been more diligent in discerning modern proactive and result-oriented strategies to advance their demands or grievances, instead of resorting to its present retrogressive and hasty conclusion that strike is the last option and best alternative to fight for their rights.
We condemn in strong terms the stand of ASUU in this imbroglio, given the fact that the governor had met about 90 per cent of their demands.
For KSU ASUU chapter to be adamant, refusing to call off the six-month-old strike after Bello’s administration had met such percentage of the union’s demands is condemnable and should be taken as deliberate action to frustrate the system, as being claimed by the governor.
The governor had, in his pronouncement after the weekly state executive council meeting, in Lokoja, the state capital, declared that his administration had fulfilled over 90 per cent of the union’s demands and had even gone a step further to pay outstanding salaries of the workers. The governor condemned the union for dragging the strike too long, when there was no longer need for it and lamented that the union’s strike has continued to draw the hand of clock backward.
“The state government was forced to take the decision following the refusal of the lecturers to call off their six-month-old strike, as the ASUU rebuffed all entreaties and government’s efforts to persuade the union to end the strike, including meeting over 90 per cent of its members’ demands,” Bello said.
Despite this, the governor shouldn’t have thrown decorum to the wind by resorting to such primordial or uncivilised action, which is akin to throwing away the baby with the bath water.
In the interim, the governor is being reminded that neither the country nor Kogi State is under military era, which detests civility and where the rule by coercion and fiat are the order of the day.
While we condemn, in strong terms, the governor’s proscription order, we want to also say unequivocally and without any prejudice that banning ASUU is regressive and dangerous in the quest to move the sector forward.
ASUU, as a matter of urgent consideration, should be courageous enough to sheathe its sword by calling off its strike and return to work with a view to restoring peace and stability to the crisis-ridden institution.
It is high time Bello woke up to face the reality of democratic governance, where parochial interest and rule by coercion are not only forbidden and alien, but are totally ruled out.
As it is, the governor and ASUU need to return to the negotiation table immediately in order to find a middle way to the crisis and to toe the path of honour for peace to reign while the university is brought back to the path of reckoning in the collective interest of the students, their parents and the state in general.
