You Can’t Give Students Loans In A Broken Economy — ASUU President, Piwuna

The new President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof Chris Piwuna, speaks to DANIEL AYANTOYE on the persistent challenges facing universities, and the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement with the Federal Government

How would you assess the Federal Government’s disposition to the welfare of workers in the education sector?

You are aware that issues surrounding the welfare of ASUU members are still unaddressed. We are still on the 2009 agreement matter, and this is one of the key things that we believe will reverse the deteriorating state of affairs in our universities, particularly the welfare of our members. The 2009 agreement has not been considered by the government, other than the committee that was set up, and nothing has been done on it since the advent of this government. We are talking about an agreement that was supposed to have been signed in 2009 and reviewed in 2012, but nothing has been done on it to date.

What are the contributing factors to the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement?

Over the years, the government has shown a lack of interest in addressing the issues of universities and the welfare of their staff. The 2009 agreement was suppose address those issues to some extent. If the government had reviewed this document before now, the effort needed to solve this problem would not have been as much as it is now. They would have been reducing these challenges over time. But you are making a leap from 2009 to 2025, and of course, it is heavy — but they pushed themselves to this point. The person who wears the crown now is President Bola Tinubu, so he has to look at how to address the issues.

You recently threatened strike action over the government’s failure to implement the 2009 agreement. Do you still intend to go on strike?

Strike is universal, not an ASUU tool. It is not a tool devised by the Nigeria Labour Congress. It is universal and recognised by all labour movements that you can think of around the world. So, we cannot take strike off the table. But what we are saying is: do we have to use it? The answer to that question depends on whether the government sits down to look at the issues with us and resolve them. We have been attempting to resolve these issues for so long, but Nigerians don’t listen to us, and governments do not understand us. All they understand is “ASUU is on strike.” But we are drawing attention to the issues now. The 2009 agreement addresses the issue of funding, remuneration for university staff, governance, and several others.

Look at our universities; are you happy with the level of governance in our institutions? Governing councils are removed and replaced at any time. The chairman of the council in one university is transferred to another university, as if we are in a barrack and a commanding officer is moving from one battalion to another. No consistency! We need to look at these things, and we are ready to talk with the government. We don’t like this attitude of pushing us to strike. We have had enough of it. So, we want to sit down and, in a very substantial and futuristic manner, address the issues that we have raised.

If you look at Tinubu’s manifesto on education, he said he wanted Nigeria to be at the top of the economies of the world. They also acknowledged in that document that education is key to this. And yet, what we have are spoken responses to our demands. What we have are short-term, immediate policies that will not solve the problems in any substantial manner.

For instance, if you want research that is creative and innovative, it would outlive two regimes of any government; that is 16 years. Countries that have impacted this world invest heavily in education and research, so that whatever outcome of the research can benefit and bring development to the country. That is not what we have. I think if the government wants to sit back and look at the last two years, they would realise that the only thing they have achieved in education is the NELFUND, which we have a problem with. That is something they said they wanted to do, and that is what they have done.

What is your reservation about NELFUND?

We think that the economy needs to be strong for someone to repay a loan. You cannot give me a loan without jobs or any prospects of getting a job. You cannot give me a loan when I can’t even feed myself. Even if they want to be realistic, they will realise that this type of loan is just something they fancy, but it is not rooted in any economic reality. So, we said, if you have that money, give it as a scholarship to students. If you have that scholarship, give it as a grant to students. When they use it to fund education, more of the funds will get into the university, apparently. But why put that extra burden when you know that you have not developed the economy?

What is your opinion on the discontinuation of the Bilateral Education Agreement scholarship scheme by the Federal Government?

Education is not local; it is international and universal. If you want to be educated and you sit down in your home and say you have acquired education, it is not balanced. What we are saying is to improve our education system so that others too can come and learn from us; learn our curriculum, ways of life, culture, and everything in our society. We learn from all these things when we travel out. So, it is a reciprocal thing, and I think that is why they even entered into the bilateral agreement in the first place. But for the government to cut it off, I am not sure we are getting to the point that we should. That brings me back to these short-term measures and actions by the government. The decisions are taken because they appeal to some political gain, rather than the benefit of both hindsight and the future.

Since ASUU issued a warning over a possible strike, has there been any official response or outreach from the Federal Government?

We have not heard from them yet, and I think those are the things that need to be talked about, because when we act based on the non-response from the government, people will start blaming us. But when we are crying out, nobody will listen. The press should help in spreading our message, and we think we should continue to do it.

Aside from NELFUND, what areas do you think the Federal Government should come in to boost the funding of tertiary institutions?

The government should go back to the 2009 agreement. We have a clear direction on how the funding of universities should be. We have discussed it with their representatives. Let them look at what we have discussed and get back to us.

There is controversy on the distribution formula for the N50bn earned academic allowances released by the Federal Government. What is ASUU’s stance on the alleged inequality in the disbursement?

We don’t have a problem with the government on the distribution because we have an understanding with them. The government has not yet reneged on that agreement and understanding. We had agreed on what needs to be paid to our members before this government. If the other unions have a problem with that, they should address it to the government. If we have a problem with it, we will go back to the government. We don’t have any problem with NASU, SSANU, and others.

The emergence of the Congress of University Academics as a parallel union has raised questions about unity within the academic workforce. What is your view on the operations and legitimacy of CONUA?

We are all a family. We have a disagreement in our family and it will be resolved. I think there is an over-hyping of CONUA issues. We are together; we will solve the problems, and Nigerians will hear about it. It is a family matter.

How do you view the impact of brain drain on the education sector specifically?

If you make conditions better, there would be no need for people to leave. Our members are leaving because of these very terrible conditions that we have in the system. The brain drain will reduce drastically and we will be better off if the conditions are improved. When people receive a tenth of what their colleagues receive elsewhere even in some other African countries, why won’t they move? If the government wants to reduce brain drain, they know what to do. We have also told them what needs to be done, but they are dragging their feet. And what needs to be done is in the area of welfare and facilities. These are key things that push people out.

Considering the recent system malfunction that affected the conduct of the last UTME, how does ASUU evaluate the credibility and operational efficiency of JAMB?

The recent developments in JAMB have not been discussed by the union. Once we do that, you will hear from us.

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, recently expressed concern over cultism. What steps can ASUU and relevant stakeholders take to address persistent cult-related issues in universities?

Cultism in Nigerian universities has been an issue that has dragged on for so long. I think it has also been exacerbated by the economic situation of the country, where students are finding ways to be relevant, to be strong, and support themselves in the system. If the government addresses some of these issues; just like the insecurity around the country, I believe issues of cultism will change. Cultism can be curbed if school authorities identify it early by identifying students who have problems, supporting them, and seeing how you can keep them clean, and keep those who are dangerous to society away. If you are able to do that, I believe things will improve.