President Goodluck Jonathan
President
Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday offered the clearest sign yet that his
administration was in no haste to resolve the three-month-old strike by
university lecturers, calling their demands “politicized” and urging the
lecturers to return to work for the sake of the students.
On his fifth presidential media chat on
the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, the president said the nation’s
bitter politics had crept into the strike by the Academic Staff Union of
Universities, and was responsible for the refusal of the lecturers to
suspend their action despite the government’s effort.
“In the past, they did not go this far
when strikes were called off; but now politics has gone into
everything,” the president said. He did not elaborate when pressed
further by a five-member interview panel on his claim about ASUU demands
being politicized.
Mr. Jonathan said his administration had
made concessions for the strike to be resolved, and has demonstrated
remarkable commitment to addressing the massive infrastructure in the
universities, one of the key demands ASUU has made.
He said the lecturers have refused to
accept the government’s explanations that broad range reforms cannot be
achieved instantly.
“ASUU strike is very very unfortunate,”
Mr Jonathan, himself a former lecturer, said. He said crisis in
education, in developing countries would always continue.
The president said the biggest
indication to his government’s commitment to such reforms was the
decision to catalogue the perennial rot afflicting all the universities.
“Throughout this time, no government has
taken inventory of all the problems in federal and state universities,”
the president said. “We said this must change. But it cannot change
overnight. So for ASUU to go on strike over infrastructure, they need to
understand that we are serious about intervening starting with N100
billion.”
The president’s remarks on the strike
was his first since lecturers downed tools in June, asking for improved
pay and better funding for universities. They vowed not to resume until
the government fully implements the last agreement both sides reached in
2009.
The lecturers have vowed not to accept
partial implementation of the agreement, with multiple intervention by
the Senate and the House of Representatives stalemated.
The government said the challenges of
improved funding requires more time, and claims it has made concessions
by providing initial funding.
As the negotiations deadlock, millions
of students have remained stranded at home with each claim of quick
resolution to the crisis turning out unrealistic.
Mr Jonathan’s comments on Sunday
provided the strongest indication yet, that, save a change in decision,
students will remain at home longer as the crisis stretches without a
resolution.
Asked specifically what the way forward
would be for the strike, the president said he was calling on the
lecturers to resume work for the sake of the Nigerian children and to
realize that the government was committed to improving education.
He said the 2009 agreement which ASUU
has harped upon, was negotiated by officials incapable for such a
responsibility as the agreement was “not implementable”.
“Even if we have all the money in the
world we cannot change things overnight,” he said. “The members of ASUU
are our brothers and sisters, they should look at these young people and
look at the commitment of govt.”
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