A STRIKE NOW ON ITS KNEES Early enough, I wish to congratulate students of Kaduna Polytechnic for the predictable outcome of todays decisive congress meeting of their teachers union which clearly has a predetermined motive to call of its 8-months strike. As victims of the unfortunate struggle, students do not in anyway deserve to go through the uncertainty any further. It is necessary that the system survives, but it is worrying that, it will survive without much difference with the status before the strike. Nigerians have watched the dramatic turn which the industrial dispute assumed within the last weeks especially, with signs of the eventual outcome glaring enough and in governments desired understanding, that teachers were going to capitulate. The neglect and disdain in governments countenance to technical education played up more in its deliberate failure to resume negotiations with the disputing teachers, even after a ridiculous cut had been made in the remaining contentious demands from 10 to 2. For the avoidance of doubt, nobody likes strikes. It does no one any good. ASUP has fought a bitter cause, trying to change a system that is programmed for failure. It has demanded its right to legitimate earnings from mutual agreements entered with government but violated by the latter. Today, not much has cime out from keeping students home almost unending. The HND/BSC dichotomy removal and recommendations of the Needs Assessment of the institutions as obtained by the partial resolutions thus far are still roadmaps; and with their work-in progress status, they are tainted with prospects of uncertainty. As for accumulated arrears of the teachers according to the the new scheme which is critical for it being about lecturers welfare, it is dead with certainty since government has pronounced it an illegitimate demand. Through a very poorly articulated, lonely and isolated struggle, ASUP lost its verve and is now a torn coat. Students watched their teachers teargassed while other Nigerians kept mute with some showing distant disgust for teachers insensitivity. Gradually, the shut schools are reopening by numbers, and governments subtle weapon of subterfuge and evasion are paying off. Indeed Minister Wike has gotten the phenomenal last laugh. In the meantime, students return to classroom is the plausible big score. A tiny, gloomy ray of hope with the emergence of Malam Shekarau as substantive minister could be tonic too. Down the road however, the rot, stagnation and fettish unproductive officialdom in the system is sustained. And at the end, worse all, the failed ASUP industrial action will turn out to be the cataclysmal waterloo of collective trade struggle which has over a century old rich history in Nigeria. Nyesom Wike takes the legacy of making this a guinea pig experiment, and the template can be readily replicated as we are already witnessing in the health sector. If the union was strong, the strike would go on-lessons learnt, system works, everyone happy. Now that it ends as it is, system dies, government is happy, students will celebrate, lecturers will have their witheld salaries...and equally, lessons will be learnt.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 05:28:52 +0000
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