As the Academic Staff of University Union (ASUU) announced its one month warning strike on Monday, a University don and the past ASUU chairman, Imo state University chapter, Engr. Dr. Luke Uzochukwu Uzoigwe has decried the level of rot in the Nigerian public University system.
Prof Uzoigwe who is also a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering, Imo state University, while speaking to News Echo, disclosed that the essence of embarking on the warning strike is to make the government correct the anomalies experienced in the Federal and state Universities in the country. He noted that government has not given University education the necessary attention it requires stressing that the government only understands the language of strike action and does not cherish dialogue hence its failure in the implementation of the 2009 terms and agreement it entered with the Union.
He disclosed that the issue of revitalization of the University system is paramount so the lecturers don’t end up graduating students instead of graduates as a result of government’s failure in fulfilling its obligation to the citizens.
According to Uzoigwe, the poor should have access to affordable and quality education as obtainable in other countries. He maintained that a system where the learning environment is not conducive enough, students will be greatly affected, adding that there is need to provide the necessary infrastructure, research centres, scientific laboratories, engineering workshops, tools and materials amongst others that will impact positively on the quality of graduates produced by the Universities.
He noted that most universities in the country are under staffed hence the need to employ more lecturers that will cater for the teeming population of students. He also disclosed that the system of proliferation of Universities without adequate funding especially the existing ones should be revisited by the state governments, noting that if this continues it will amount to “non performance and illiteracy”.
Uzoigwe urged the FGN to implement its agreement to the betterment of the students, according to him, the Union is standing on the position of not allowing the situation to continue but has resolved to embark on a total shut down of academic activities if the government fails to fully implement its agreement. He enjoined students to understand their stand in fighting a just course that will benefit them.
He insisted that students should on their part show commitment and display their displeasure over the situation to the government instead of using the opportunity of the strike action to indulge in all forms of illegalities like Yahoo-Yahoo, prostitution, drug abuse and other crimes.
Unfortunately, he disclosed that just a few percentage of the student population are empathetic about the situation while others see it as an opportunity to engage in other activities. He said it’s disheartening that most of the Nigerian graduates cannot match with their counterparts in other countries hence the need for the government to act reasonably.
