Sometimes it may appear like Nigeria is never bereft of troubling issues, and even more, they come in multiples seeming to dwarf what other nations might be going through. The ongoing ASUU strike is one of the many problems facing Nigeria today. Strikes are not new in Nigeria, but it would have been expected that at this stage of global civilization, ASUU strikes should be a thing of the past.
The current strike has lasted for 5 months and running with no realistic end in sight, except for innuendos form the government and the tertiary body. The NLC like all other Nigerians is also fed up with the impasse, it is currently on a nationwide protest to register its displeasure.
Silverbird TV had Jideofor Adibe, a professor of political science and founder of Adonis and Abbey Publishers to discuss this and other issues in the country.
He regretted the position which we have found ourselves in today, whether from the government point of view or from the ASUU. “It is a question of the two sides sitting together for a resolution, what we see is an issue of trust”.
“Nigeria is one of the countries we call low trust society, we do not have individuals or institutions that command legitimacy across the populace. People are not assured of justice. For example, it would have been easy for ASUU to approach the industrial court to settle its issues with the government if there was trust in the system”.
Adibe opines that we should see the ongoing travails in the education system beyond just the strike. The quality of education is also being drastically affected. The lecturers may not be at their optimal level whenever the strike is called off, likewise the students’ performance too will be negatively affected by the schools being shut down.
Drawing a parallel between the ASUU strike and the Kaduna-Abuja train kidnap incident where the kidnapped victims have been held for more than 100 days, he says it portrays a leadership that is not willing to respond to issues, maybe because it does not directly affect them or their family members.
He concluded on an optimistic note that things will get better with time.
