I just finished reading a piece by Kayode Komolafe titled “Talking Tough in Abuja” and it is indeed a masterpiece and a direct jab at Nigerian government officials including the President who ought to know better than threaten university lecturers. It is disheartening to note that the president through his power drunk officials has decided to coerce striking university teachers to get back to work.
The question is simple; how much are the lecturers requesting for compared to what our lawmakers are earning? How much does the Government spend to service the extravagant lifestyles of top government officials? How about monies earmarked as security votes that can be used to provide “security” by a chief executive of a state? How about funds embezzled by state officials?
Answering these questions will prove to any right thinking Nigerian that 1 trillion Naira to fund universities over the next couple of years is no big deal and I stand solidly behind ASUU.
I make bold to say that the threat is more or less an empty one. Nigerians must look at the bigger picture, for how long will we produce half baked university graduates that cannot match their counterparts abroad? Can you imagine what will happen in the future if only children of elites get quality education?
I conclude by stating unequivocally that sacking lecturers is not the way to resolve the mess our university system is in….. Taking our educational sector more seriously is the ONLY way forward.
NB: I have not written new posts for this blog as often as I used to for a number of reasons, chief of them, is that I have become extremely busy with many other tasks. Another reason is that I am considering changing the direction of this blog by making it truly ‘personal’ because I wanna write about anything I deem fit whether or not it fits into any niche. Industry standards is that you focus but I am seriously considering deviating from what I have preached as an expert because I feel I am not making good use of this platform because of some “standards” – well that is about to change for good.
