By Saheed Ibrahim
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The President of the Committee of Provosts in Nigeria, Prof. Faruk Rashid Haruna, has said that embarking on strike will not end the incessant struggle between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Haruna said ASUU had deployed strike as a tool to press demands from the government, but it has proven ineffective.
His words: “We have deployed strike as a tool on several occasions, but it’s no longer working. I do not believe that the instrument of strike is effective when it comes to resolving issues between the ASUU and Federal Government.
“It is just a temporary measure; it does not stop the agitation from recurring at the end of the day. On different occasions, the government had pretended to have agreed on some terms with the union only to disagree later”.
The Provost of the Federal College of Education (FCE), Kotangora, however, recommended lobbying as the new strategy the union should employ to press its demands.
He suggested that ASUU can synergise with parents, students’ unions, community leaders and other stakeholders to press its demands.
“Lobbying is officially an acceptable tool in Nigeria. It will make a lot of sense to have a situation where parents can organise themselves to be part of the process, assisting in lobbying the government on behalf of ASUU.
“We can also have all the relevant stakeholders; students, parents, and community leaders come to a roundtable to share their concerns on some of these issues.
“Make them understand the plight of lecturers and then carry them along when it comes to resolving issues with the Federal Government.
They can assist on how solutions can be provided to some of the issues militating against the tertiary education system in the country”, he stated.
