Press Release
The
All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the Federal Government for issuing
a sack threat against striking university teachers, saying the resort to
such military-era tactics reflects the FG's poverty of ideas in
resolving the prolonged ASUU strike.
In a
statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party in particular criticized the
Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, for the way he talked down
on the striking teachers, while issuing the ill-advised,
"go-back-to-work-or-be-sacked" threat.
''Wike's
language was crude, his presentation was rude and his threat was demeaning and
counter-productive. We believe his lack of finesse and the inability to
think out of the box in handling the whole strike issue will not bode well for
a quick resolution of the crisis.
''We
also disagree with the Minister's inference that the lecturers should
automatically call off the strike because the President intervened and sat for
long hours with them. It is this unnecessary deification of a democratically-elected
President that has almost turned this President into an Emperor. What is the
big deal in President Jonathan sitting with ASUU members, his former colleagues
for that matter? What is a President elected to do if not to solve
problems?'' it queried.
APC
said it is unfortunate that Wike can be threatening to sack university teachers
at a time there is a shortfall of 60,000 lecturers in Nigerian universities,
adding that the threat itself has shown that the FG does not understand the
enormity of the problems facing public universities in particular and the
education sector in general.
''The
poor remuneration of university teachers and the inadequate facilities for
teaching and learning in our public universities have combined to trigger
a brain drain in the institutions. The pauperization and frustration of the
teachers through the non-implementation of the pacts aimed at ameliorating
the situation have discouraged those who may want to become university
teachers. Yet, the few who have defied the odds to take to this noble path
of helping to mold our future leaders are being threatened with dismissal.
This betrays a painful lack of understanding of the long and tortuous path it
takes to produce a university teacher.
''It
also shows that the so-called Supervising Minister of Education is not better
than the misguided market women who, having being hired and paid to
protest against ASUU, threatened to invade the universities to chase out the
lecturers if they won't call off the strike.
''This
is what a country gets when it puts round pegs in square holes. It is not
everyone who can mobilize campaign funds for the President or organize
thugs during an election who should be rewarded with a ministerial post, not to
talk of being given such a sensitive ministry as that of education, which
is directly responsible for the future of our youth and of course
our country. No one who knows the value of education will toe the path
taken by Wike in issuing his empty threat,'' the party said.
It
said ASUU was right in demanding certain benchmarks, including the
non-victimization clause and the need for a senior government official, like
the Attorney-General, to sign the agreement, before calling off its strike, in
view of the fact that the FG has a history of reneging on its agreements.
''Yes,
our party is eager for this prolonged strike to end so that our youths who have
been marooned at home for five months can resume their academic pursuit.
Yes, we believe this strike has gone on for way too long, and that it will
impact negatively on our country's development in the long run. But we
believe the issues at stake must be resolved once and for all, so that we won't
have a repeat of these recurring strikes.
''The
onus rests on the FG to work with ASUU to resolve this lingering crisis.
President Jonathan should get off his high horse, roll up his sleeves as
Presidents elsewhere do and tackle squarely what has now become one of the
biggest challenges facing his administration.
''However,
if the Jonathan administration has run out of ideas, as we now fear it
has, going by the infantile threats being issued by it, then let it hands
off the negotiations and allow other stakeholders to find a way out. We are all
stakeholders in the education of our youths,'' APC said.
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